DALLAS — White Rock Lake Park is a popular spot for pet owners like Charisse Beaupre, who is sad their pups can't splash in the lake due to a sewage spill.
Last week, a mechanical failure at the North Texas Municipal Water District led to 1.5 million gallons of sewage from three manholes spilling into White Rock Creek. That sewage then flowed into White Rock Lake.
Monday, the NTMWD told WFAA it did not see any environmental impact due to the spill. On Tuesday, the Dallas Park and Recreation Department asked park visitors not to enter the water, fish, boat, and row because testing conducted by Dallas Water Utility found elevated bacterial levels in White Rock Lake.
Charisse Beaupre, who frequents White Rock Lake with her dog Ruthie, thinks, "There’s a big community here that is really important so you’re kind of taking that away from everybody.”
WFAA also talked to Dallas Paddle, a kayak rental company that operates on the lake. They will be closed through March, waiting for the water to be deemed safe. The business says DWU is testing daily and providing consistent updates on bacteria levels in the lake.
Ples Mcadory, who was visiting the dog park at White Rock Lake, shared, “I don’t want the $300 and $400 vet bills and extra parasites so, I’m going to stick to the park.”
In a joint statement with the City of Plano, the NTMWD said in part:
"We work closely with our communities to ensure safe, reliable operations of our regional wastewater conveyance systems, including preventing sanitary sewer overflows. However, even with preventative maintenance, these events may occasionally occur due to unforeseen mechanical issues, clogs in the wastewater system, or excessive rainfall."
The City of Plano said in part:
"The City of Plano is taking a myriad of steps to reduce the number of Sanitary Sewer Overflows. ince 2019, the numbers of sewage spills from manholes are trending down. We take incidents such as this very seriously and work to ensure we are using best practices and proactive maintenance on our assets."
Over the next few days, Dallas Water Utilities will continue sampling for bacteria.
"The samples have shown that the bacteria level in White Rock Creek and White Rock Lake is decreasing compared to the beginning of the incident, and progress is being made toward reaching normal levels," the agency said in a news release.