It's a story we first brought you earlier this month -- thousand of tires strewn across a Washington County property and going into the Brazos River.

Well, based on News Three's reporting, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality has launched an investigation into the tires on the Brazos, that according to a TCEQ spokesperson.

At the time of the report's airing, the property owner told News 3 those tires were laid down decades ago to prevent soil erosion, a claim backed up by county officials, who say the move was authorized by the local government.

- Click here for Steve Fullhart's original report, including web exclusives on the Tires on the Brazos.

A former county extension agent who gave the go-ahead for the tires told News Three that at the time, tires were an acceptable option to prevent erosion, but that it was unacceptable now.

Complaints of tires in the Brazos River have been coming to Washington County officials since 2003. The county attorney advised they take no action against the property owner because they had a legal right to have the tires there dating back to the ruling in the 1960s.

The TCEQ investigation will likely take a number of weeks, but a spokesperson says they will be working with Washington County officials as they look into the matter.

Officials at the Brazos River Authority tell us this problem is not uncommon, as they've seen similiar situations involving tires in the Glen Rose area. There, they say volunteer groups have organized to clean up tires that have floated down river.