City manager says TCEQ issued landfill notice; city launches cleanup and investigation

City Manager Grayson Path announced that the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) issued a notice of violation for the City of Amarillo landfill following an April 30 site inspection. "On May 21 I learned that the TCEQ had issued a notice of violation related to the conditions of the landfill," Path said, and he described a sequence of managerial steps taken since that notification.

Path said the city removed the landfill superintendent on May 22, ordered exposed trash covered (Cell 4 completed, Cell 10 underway), directed a general cleanup and engaged the contractor that fought the landfill fire to expedite work. He also said the city is preparing plans to install real‑time surveillance technology and is exploring drilling a new on‑site water well to improve fire suppression capabilities. "I have also initiated a comprehensive internal investigation into the circumstances that led to the situation," Path said, adding that the investigation will cover conditions at the landfill, related communications and organizational decisions and that litigation is possible depending on findings.

Path told the council he had directed that any regulatory inspection of any city facility be reported directly to his office going forward. He said the city will share findings from the internal review with the governing body when available. The council did not take an immediate vote on policy changes but accepted the briefing and invited further reporting back to council with investigation findings and next steps.