White Rock Lake water activities suspended after 1.5m gallons of sewage spilled from Plano
Dallas officials temporarily suspended water-related activities at White Rock Lake on Wednesday after 1.5 million gallons of raw sewage spilled into water... Dallas officials temporarily suspended water-related activities at White Rock Lake after 1.5 million gallons of raw sewage spilled from Plano, Texas. The incident occurred on March 14 when a valve at a water lift station in Plano failed, causing a significant amount of sewage to flow into the water. Park and Recreation officials have advised park visitors not to fish or enter the water due to elevated bacterial levels in the creek and lake water. Recreational boaters, rowing and yacht clubs will also discontinue their activities and water operations during the suspension. The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) is investigating the spill and it is unclear whether fines will be levied. The Corinthian Sailing Club had already changed its plans to relocate its sailboat regatta to Lake Ray Hubbard after learning of the spill.
Published : a month ago by Aria Jones in Environment
Dallas officials temporarily suspended water-related activities at White Rock Lake after 1.5 million gallons of raw sewage spilled into water from Plano.
To protect public health, Park and Recreation officials are advising park visitors not to fish or enter the water due to elevated bacterial levels found in the creek and lake water.
Recreational boaters, rowing and yacht clubs will also discontinue their activities and water operations during the suspension, according to a notice from the Dallas Park and Recreation Department.
Environmental officials have been monitoring the lake after the spill, which started about 2:40 p.m. on March 14 when the valve at a water lift station in Plano failed, flooding the station and shuttering mechanical equipment. Sewage overflowed from three manholes near 5510 West Plano Parkway.
Plano officials estimated that about 500 gallons of sewage per minute flowed into White Rock Creek, which feeds into White Rock Lake. About 38 hours after the spill began, it ended just before 5 a.m. Saturday.
It is not clear how much sewage made its way from Plano to Dallas. To dilute the wastewater, Plano added dechlorination tablets and flushed the creek with water, said Victoria Cann, a spokesperson with the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality.
The TCEQ, which is responsible for overseeing such incidents, said Tuesday it is investigating the spill. It is not yet clear whether any fines will be levied.
The spill already had one group revise its plans prior to the notice from Dallas officials, with the Corinthian Sailing Club moving its annual sailboat regatta from White Rock Lake to Lake Ray Hubbard over the weekend after it was notified of the spill.
“I would not want to fall in that water,” the club’s commodore Ralph Jones told The Dallas Morning News on Monday.
Untreated sewage has flowed from Plano into White Rock Creek in previous incidents. More than 320,000 gallons of sewage spilled into the creek after a severe storm in November 2021 downed a tree, which fell on an aerial sewage line.
In June 2018, a burst wastewater pipe in Plano sent 1 million gallons of raw sewage into the creek, prompting Dallas to suspend recreational activities at White Rock Lake.
With the most recent spill, Dallas’ park department said it would work with the city’s water utilities department to monitor water conditions and any treatments.
The department said Wednesday that it will post updates about when the water-related activities can resume at DallasParks.org and on department social media accounts.