A broken 30-inch sewage main leaked thousands of gallons of sewage into Bowman Branch Creek over the holiday weekend.
ARLINGTON, Texas — A pipeline rupture over the Independence Day weekend spilled more than 100,000 gallons of wastewater near Joe Pool Lake, prompting local officials to issue precautionary guidelines for nearby residents.
The Trinity River Authority (TRA) reported that the sanitary sewer outflow was discovered on Saturday, July 4, around 2 p.m. The spill was triggered by a break in a 30-inch wastewater pipeline used to transport sewage located on Mirabella Boulevard in Arlington.
TRA officials were first alerted to the leak by staff at Grand Prairie’s Loyd Park. The wastewater entered Bowman Branch Creek, which flows into Joe Pool Lake.
While an investigation is underway to determine the exact volume of the spill, officials confirmed it has surpassed the 100,000-gallon threshold that triggers mandatory state reporting to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ).
Despite the large volume, the TRA emphasized that the wastewater is heavily diluted and poses no immediate threat to public water systems.
Public Water Supplies: Safe. No public drinking water sources have been threatened or contaminated.
Aquatic Life: Unaffected. No immediate harm to fish or wildlife has been reported.
Service Disruptions: None. Utility services for TRA wastewater customers will continue without interruption.
While public water is secure, the TRA has issued explicit warnings for individuals relying on private water sources or visiting the immediate area. Anyone using a private drinking water well within a half-mile radius of the spill site should boil their water before use. Bring water to a rolling boil for at least one full minute for drinking, cooking, bathing, and brushing teeth. Wells should be professionally tested and disinfected before normal use resumes.
The general public is strongly advised to avoid any contact with soil, waste material, or water near Bowman Branch Creek and the affected area. Anyone who accidentally comes into contact with potentially contaminated water or soil should bathe thoroughly and wash their clothes as soon as possible.
As of Sunday, cleanup crews had successfully contained the spill. The TRA has launched increased water quality monitoring protocols in the area, and active remediation work remains underway. However, the root cause of the main rupture is still being investigated.