White Rock Lake advocates want to see more action after sewage overflow
DALLAS — The City of Dallas is still telling residents to stay away from water at White Rock Lake after a sewage overflow happened in Pano. Now environmental advocates are calling for more action.
Becky Rader is a biologist and White Rock Lake advocate.
"I grew up walking to the lake every Saturday and Sunday," said Rader. "so that was the connection."
When she heard 1.5 million gallons of sewage overflowed from a mechanical issue at a lift station in Plano and into White Rock Creek which feeds White Rock Lake she thought, "Not again... because this happened before and one time was enough."
According to the city of Plano, there have been five sewage overflows, including this one, in the White Rock Creek watershed since 2019. Due to the latest sewage spill, the City of Dallas told visitors to avoid fishing, boating or getting into the water at White Rock Lake due to elevated levels of bacteria in creek and lake water.
"I'm a huge advocate of our wildlife here and I want to see them remain," Rader said. "And not only them but the people who use the lake."
In a statement, Dallas city councilwoman Paula Blackmon said, "This is unacceptable! These incidents keep happening with regularity. City of Plano and North Texas Municipal Water District need to invest in the maintenance and replacement of sanitary sewer systems that ultimately impact the North Texas region and our downstream cities."
The North Texas Municipal Water District said repairs on the impacted lift station could take up to a week to finish. The district says they've improved their wastewater system maintenance in recent years and that a majority of their pipelines are in excellent condition but that unforeseen mechanical issues, clogs or excessive rainwater can lead to overflows.
"It continues to happen and it has not been rectified by our neighbor in Plano and it continues to flow down and impact us."
Plano says they've also taken steps to prevent sewage overflows, like:
-cleaning "Trouble spot" sewer mains
-inspecting and cleaning a majority of their sewer mains and manholes
-reinspecting sewer aerial crossings after storms
"It's for everybody to share and all of us have to have that same concern for us to protect the lake," said Rader. "For it to stay here."
Dallas Park and Recreation says it is working with Dallas Water Utilities to monitor the water quality at the lake and says they will advise the public when normal water activities on the lake can resume.