RICHARDSON, Texas — A soap detergent spill from a Richardson car wash turned a creek bright red over the weekend, officials said.
The spill, which was reported around noon Sunday, at Floyd Branch Creek near Arapaho Road and Hampshire Lane, according to city officials.
The city shared pictures on Facebook of bright red water in the creek. The spill was reported when someone saw "large amounts of red liquid" flowing in the creek, the city said.
Officials traced the spill to a nearby car wash, saying the business owner "began discharging wastewater from the establishment into the creek due to a blockage affecting its main wastewater line."
“The car wash had kind of fabricated some temporary housing and piping and was discharging some of their automotive detergents into the storm drain from their base,” said Richardson Health Director Bill Alsup.
The detergent, which was deemed to be non-hazardous, was cleaned out of the creek and the water was back to normal by Monday morning. Still, fish in the creek could be affected by the soap spill, officials said.
“Luckily, the car wash detergent is, is it, you know, terribly hazardous to speak of we haven't noticed any kind of environmental impact to aquatic life or the foliage or anything,” Alsup said.
Crews had to block the flow of the creek water and then they pumped out more than 21,000 gallons of water. The spill impact was "minimized and the natural ecosystem and water quality" met safety standards Monday morning, officials said.
The city notified the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, which regulates incidents like the soap spill.
"On January 28, 2024, the TCEQ DFW Region received notification that 100 gallons of car wash soap was released and had impacted Fort Branch Creek near 1028 N Lindale Street in Richardson. The release originated from Clean N Shine Express Carwash located at 535 W Arapaho in Richardson. TCEQ contacted Richardson Health Department to discuss the details of the incident, and according to City of Richardson, a contractor had been retained to perform response actions. No fish kills had been observed and TCEQ assistance was not requested," a statement from TCEQ reads. "On January 29, 2024, TCEQ followed up with the City of Richardson. Approximately 21,000 gal of impacted water from the creek was recovered into two frac tanks for disposal, and no fish kills were observed. The TCEQ will continue to follow up with the City of Richardson and the responsible party to verify appropriate response actions are conducted."
A city spokesperson told WFAA that the soap came from the Clean and Shine Carwash off Arapahoe Road and Hampshire Lane, about a half-mile from the creek. The spokesperson said the car wash, which now faces a fine, had installed its own pipe to take runoff to the creek.