Residents say Duck Creek smells like sewage after paint plant fire, explosion
GARLAND (CBSNewsTexas.com) - Following the Sherwin-Williams plant explosion in Garland, there's been concern about nearby creek contamination. Crews have been working to clean it up and say the latest water samples show it's decreased.
However, now homeowners say they're dealing with another big issue.
"We can't stay out here long just because the smell is so bad," Jennifer Jones Ward said.
She said that smell is coming from Duck Creek, which runs behind her home.
"It smells like sewage," she said. "So just like raw sewage. It's awful!"
Ward and her husband said they first noticed the foul odor late last week as crews were working to clean up contamination caused by the Sherwin-Williams plant explosion.
"When I got up, I could hardly breathe," Ronnie Ward said. "I was having a hard time. I had to use my inhaler."
"I wrote an email to the city of Garland, reached out to them and let them know," Jennifer said. "They got back to me in a couple hours, said they had somebody check to see if there was a sewage leak and that there was no problem."
She said then a TCEQ employee stopped by.
"They confirmed that it was in fact sewage," she said. "They said probably with the equipment from pulling all that foam out of the creek that they probably hit some kind of sewage line."
This is just the latest hardship homeowners have been experiencing.
"Really, really frustrating," Jennifer said. "We've been through enough. I feel like this should be made a priority at this point."
A city spokesperson says the creek was tested Wednesday and no sewage was found. They believe the smell is due to the fish and stagnant water.
TCEQ has since made the following statement:
On August 14, 2023, TCEQ staff responded to an odor complaint at a residence located on a waterway that leads to Duck Creek. TCEQ staff observed the water in the creek behind their property was grayish-black in color with an odor. TCEQ investigators were unable to locate any potential sources and the City of Garland has confirmed there are no issues with city sewage lines or release of wastewater. TCEQ staff collected samples downstream on August 15, 2023, and sample results are pending. Sherwin-Williams will flush dechlorinated fresh water into waterways to reduce stagnation and return them to a more natural state.