‘Cloudy water’ in Garland creek starts to clear as source investigated, city says
Garland city officials said Friday evening that the process of releasing fresh water and draining impacted water has been completed. The city of Garland, Texas, has cleared murky water in a nearby creek after residents reported seeing murky water, causing it to look murky in Ruperds Branch and Duck Creek. Despite this, multiple fish have been found dead and there are still questions about the source of the problem. The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality reported that a sewer line had been damaged during construction operations and an unknown amount of industrial sewage wastewater had been released. The city of Garland responded to the issue on Wednesday and began removing the "cloudy water" by pumping it out of the creek and releasing fresh water upstream. However, in remediation efforts, staff found "a significant number of dead fish" during the process. The only lead that could not be ruled out as a possible source was a sewer construction project in the area, which was in progress at the time of the incident.
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Two days after residents reported seeing murky water in a Garland creek, water clarity has nearly been returned to its “natural state,” but multiple fish have been found dead, city officials said Friday. And questions remain about the source of the problem.
Texas Commission on Environmental Quality told The Dallas Morning News in an email Friday morning that the city of Garland notified them “of a sewer line that had been damaged during construction operations and a release of an unknown amount of industrial sewage wastewater had occurred, impacting Ruperds Branch and Duck Creek.” But a city of Garland news release sent to The News on Friday night seemed to suggest the source of the contamination had not been confirmed.
Garland city officials responded Wednesday to Ruperds Branch after residents reported the water looking cloudy near Shiloh Road and Wood Drive. City officials said in a Facebook post late Wednesday that its health and water utilities staff were removing the “cloudy water” by pumping it out of the creek and releasing fresh water upstream.
The city said then that staff had tested the water and “nothing hazardous” was identified.
The efforts had been focused on a 1.9-mile stretch of the creek, near Lonnecker Drive to the creek’s intersection with Saturn Road. Officials said Friday evening the process of releasing fresh water and draining impacted water has been completed.
But in remediation efforts, staff found “a significant number of dead fish,” officials said. City staff built “earthen dams” to stop the spread of the cloudy water beyond the stretch and into Duck Creek. Officials advised residents to stay out of Ruperds Branch.
In their statement, city officials did not say whether Duck Creek was affected and have not confirmed the source for the cloudy water. Officials said the location and timing “suggest a possible leak or complications during construction on a wastewater line.”
“At this time, the only lead that could not be ruled out as a possible source was a sewer construction project in the area, which was in progress at the time the cloudy water was first discovered,” officials wrote.
In its statement, city officials said the contractor for the project had stated their “efforts to replace the city’s wastewater line did not cause any discharge into the creek.” City staff have collected water samples and sent them to a lab for testing.
Officials advised residents it will likely take weeks to receive all test results and investigate all details of the incident.
“The city is committed to identifying the source of the cloudy water and will continue its investigation to ensure a resolution to this situation,” officials wrote.