SpaceX refutes reports that its Starship launchpad system polluted Texas waters
SpaceX has strongly refuted a media report claiming the company violated environmental regulations by releasing pollutants related to Starship launches in South Texas. CNBC reported on 12 August that “Elon Musk’s SpaceX violated environmental regulations by repeatedly releasing pollutants into or near bodies of water” through its water deluge system at its Starbase launch facility in South Texas, citing a state agency. The report claims that industrial wastewater is discharged into nearby bodies of water by SpaceX’s deluge system. The report cites a notice of violation of the Clean Water Act issued by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ). The related investigation “found that SpaceX discharged industrial wastewater without a permit four times between March and July of this year,” according to CNBC.
The deluge system is used for Starship flight safety and protecting launch infrastructure and its surroundings by absorbing the intense heat and vibrations of launch. The violations could threaten SpaceX’s ambitions to increase Starship launches from its Starbase facility. The company used the X social media platform, which like SpaceX is owned by Elon Musk, to respond to the claims. “CNBC’s story on Starship’s launch operations in South Texas is factually inaccurate,” SpaceX said in its extended post. The post states that SpaceX uses potable water for its deluge system, rather than water exposed to industrial processes. It also states that the company has been in consultation with the TCEQ and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), which issued a notice of violation in March this year.