West Lafayette officials investigate dumping in parking garage drain | Exclusive

• A TikTok video shows a man pouring hot liquid down a storm drain in a West Lafayette parking garage.
• City officials are investigating the incident to determine the substance and the responsible party.
• The liquid could potentially flow to a wastewater treatment plant or directly into the Wabash River.
• The business responsible could face fines starting at $2,000 per day for the violation.

WEST LAFAYETTE, IN — After a video posted to TikTok showed an apparent food service worker pouring hot liquid down a storm drain in a West Lafayette parking garage, city officials said they are still investigating the severity of the situation.

In the video posted to TikTok on Thursday, a man can be seen in the parking garage at 111 E. State St. pouring liquid from two large cooking pots into the storm drain in the center of the garage. As the man pours the hot liquid, steam can be seen emerging from the drain as he stacks the pots back onto a rolling cart.

West Lafayette Wastewater Utility Director David Henderson said Friday the video was sent to him by several people, noting his department is aware of the situation.

“We are going to address this, because dumping is a definite no-no,” Henderson said.

Henderson said the city is unaware of which restaurant the food service employee might belong to or what the liquid was.

If the liquid was hot oil, Henderson said there are two scenarios for where that waste would go: into the city’s wastewater treatment plant or the Wabash River.

“Depending on the manhole, it may be a combination sewer, which is our best-case scenario, because as hot oil cools and solidifies downstream a combo sewer will bring it to the plant where it can be removed,” Henderson said. “If that were to be discharged into a separate storm sewer, then it would go into the receiving waters, but in this case, it is likely going to come to the plant.”

The probability that it is a combination sewer is higher, Henderson said, given that the drain is in a parking garage, which is typically built to handle fluid runoff from vehicles and snow melt.

If it was hot oil, Henderson said the risk of a potential fire is low given the sewer’s cooler temperatures.

“Sewers are usually very cool. It’s like being in a cave,” Henderson said. “Even though it was a small amount being poured into the drain, we still don’t want it there. This is not acceptible behavior.”

Pending more investigation, Henderson said the business responsible for dumping into the sewer could face fines.

According to West Lafayette municipal code, a first-recorded violation for dumping is $2,000 per day. Any violations that follow may rise to $7,500 per day.

“We are still actively investigating the situation,” Henderson said, “and we are working on how to ensure this will not happen again.”

Jillian Ellison is a reporter for the Journal & Courier. She can be reached via email at jellison@usatodayco.com.