GARLAND, Texas — Cleanup and observation efforts are still ongoing by the City of Garland after residents noticed cloudy water in a creek near Shiloh Road and Wood Drive earlier this week.
After being alerted to the issue, the city said health and water utilities staff immediately took samples of the water and found nothing hazardous in their test.
But the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ), which is also conducting a further comprehensive analysis of the water and investigating the issue, said Garland officials notified them that a sewer line had been damaged during nearby construction, releasing an unknown amount of industrial sewage wastewater into Ruperds Branch and Duck Creek.
In the days since the initial discovery, City of Garland workers have reported improved clarity in the 1.9-mile stretch of creek from Lonnecker Drive to the creek’s intersection with Saturn Road at their focus.
Per a City of Garland update late on Thursday, officials have been releasing fresh water upstream in the creek to help collect and drain the impacted water in hopes of returning the creek to its previous state. The city says those efforts have resulted in "significant improvements" and are continuing into Friday.
Out of an abundance of caution, and so as not to impede remediation efforts, the city is asking residents to stay out of the creek until further notice.