{"id":430687,"date":"2026-09-09T14:40:08","date_gmt":"2026-09-09T14:40:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/430687\/"},"modified":"2026-09-09T14:40:08","modified_gmt":"2026-09-09T14:40:08","slug":"sand-branch-near-dallas-has-no-clean-drinking-water","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/430687\/","title":{"rendered":"Sand Branch near Dallas has no clean drinking water"},"content":{"rendered":"

This story<\/a> was originally reported by Lauren Nutall of The 19th<\/a>. <\/p>\n

Days after a large grassfire ripped through four acres of land in Sand Branch, Christina Parks is exhausted.\u00a0<\/p>\n

On August 29, brush, trash and debris on a vacant property fueled the blaze, and two nearby structures were damaged. There were no reported injuries, though some residents were forced to temporarily evacuate. After two days of containment efforts by Dallas Fire-Rescue and mutual aid crews from nine neighboring areas, the fire was finally suppressed, according to the department. For Parks, who lives in Sand Branch, it\u2019s another blow to the already struggling community that lacks clean accessible water and makes disasters such as this more difficult to handle.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m drained physically and mentally,\u201d she told The 19th. Amid the chaos, she\u2019s once again assumed her role as a community leader. With the assistance of other volunteers and community organizations \u2014 some of whom traveled as long as two hours \u2014 Parks is taking the steps to care for her neighbors in the immediate aftermath of the fire as she grapples with their ongoing need for basic necessities.<\/p>\n

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Sand Branch is an impoverished pocket of land tucked away in Seagoville, Texas, roughly 14 miles southeast of downtown Dallas. It has been without safe drinking water for decades, and it does not have a sewage system or even trash collection. Historically, it\u2019s a predominantly Black community.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Parks has heard stories about a time when more people lived in Sand Branch \u2014 that it was once a happy place. When she first arrived four years ago, more young children like her own 12-year-old daughter had also lived there. But since moving to the unincorporated area, she\u2019s seen families go and seen her neighbors struggle. Some people left to start anew in places where resources are easier to come by.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Driving along the thoroughfare, as asphalt highways fade into open plains, the area slowly begins to resemble a scene from a bygone era. Horses freely roam along unpaved trails. Abandoned dogs drift through the community. Some residents have begun installing solar solutions to supplement the lack of streetlights.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s like you took a step back in time,\u201d Parks said. She is one of the few residents who is raising a child in the area. In 1998, the Texas Almanac listed a population of 400. Today, residents estimate that those numbers have shrunk to about 150 people.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat you\u2019ll hear the older people say,\u201d Parks said, \u201cis that they\u2019re just trying to wait till we all die so they can have our land. And that\u2019s sad because, if you think about it, why else? Why are there no children? Why is there nothing here?\u201d<\/p>\n

Despite its proximity to the Dallas Water Utilities Plant, which lies near Sand Branch\u2019s perimeters, clean running water has remained out of reach for the residents despite decades of efforts.<\/p>\n

Parks, 46, would like to see Sand Branch become a place where people can envision raising their own families. But, as residents wait for what they\u2019ve described as \u201cforever water\u201d \u2014 that is, water infrastructure \u2014 with no clear path forward, she\u2019s now trying to preserve what\u2019s left of her community.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re going through a crisis every single day,\u201d she said. \u201cIn Sand Branch, you can\u2019t focus on the future like, \u2018Hey, what are your goals five years from now,\u2019 because you\u2019re really just trying to get through the now. You\u2019re trying to make it to the next day.\u201d<\/p>\n

Parks goes door-to-door with bottled water and groceries for her neighbors each day as part of her work with the nonprofit that she created in 2020 called C\u2019s Corner and Thrift, which serves as a food pantry and thrift store.<\/p>\n

She moved to Sand Branch from Dallas after discovering that she required a full hip replacement. In need of an affordable place to recover, she chose to relocate her family, including her three children, to the rural hamlet after stumbling across a Facebook post. \u201cThe rent was way cheaper than being in town, and what we did was we bought a couple of campers,\u201d she said. Today, her family owns four.\u00a0<\/p>\n

It wasn\u2019t until they arrived, however, that Parks discovered the community had no clean water or functioning sewage system. She told The 19th that, upon moving to the area, her health deteriorated and the surgery she initially moved to Sand Branch to recover from was temporarily stalled due to ongoing health complications.<\/p>\n

Still, to the extent that her body would allow, Parks began to devote her time to her new neighbors. Occasional hot meals that she would pass out on Thanksgiving and Christmas turned into managing a food pantry and grocery runs for people in her neighborhood. Soon, she had built an entire operation.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Eventually, Parks\u2019 health stabilized enough for her to get the necessary surgery, which she has since recuperated from. But still, Parks has remained in Sand Branch alongside her family. \u201cWe ended up staying out here even though we knew that there was no water and sewer because, in my brain, I knew that once I got better, Sand Branch needed me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Parks\u2019 nonprofit was originally born out of a desire to help mothers and babies in Pleasant Grove \u2014 her old neighborhood in Dallas \u2014 where she would provide items such as children\u2019s clothing and formula. Upon moving to Sand Branch, where children are scarce, she pivoted.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Though many organizations have poured into Sand Branch over the years, as a permanent resident, Parks\u2019 contributions bring a familiarity and trust. In the past six months, she started the \u201cNo One Goes to Sleep Hungry in Sand Branch\u201d initiative, which delivers free meals to people who have no way to heat food in their home. Neighbors are able to visit her nonprofit\u2019s site \u2014 a 13-by-20 portable carport planted in front of her home \u2014 every day to pick up essentials like food, water or pet food.<\/p>\n

In conversation with residents and volunteers, the mention of Parks\u2019 name and efforts inspires appreciation. \u201cChristina, you know, she does a lot of food. That was a blessing. She even helped my dog,\u201d said one man named Hymie, who moved to Sand Branch three months ago.\u00a0<\/p>\n

However, the transition hasn\u2019t been easy. Both she and her husband live on a fixed income, and managing the nonprofit is their full-time work while they are both full-time students. Parks is earning her bachelor\u2019s in health and human services. There is no stream of money coming in, and their organization relies entirely on donations. Last year, her family\u2019s electric generator stopped working during the Texas summer. When they went to use their second generator, it, too, broke.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Parks straddles her role as a mother to her children and, in some aspects, to her community. But, being a parent, especially to her daughter, in an area as secluded as Sand Branch has proven to be grueling.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u201cI know it\u2019s difficult for us, so imagine a little girl.\u201d<\/p>\n

Many Sand Branch residents have access to wells but, oftentimes, they do not function properly or the poor quality means it is used for bathing or flushing, but not drinking. In 1997, the Texas Natural Resource Conservation Commission \u2014 now the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality \u2014 found that 10 water wells in the community were at risk of contamination, exhibiting high levels of coliform bacteria and, in one case, E. coli, according to records from the Dallas County Department of Health and Human Services. The commission also found metals including iron and manganese in some of the wells.<\/p>\n

Because of the community\u2019s shallow well construction, high water table and the persistence of on-site waste disposal, government officials determined that the wells posed a health risk and would not be allowed for public use, effectively removing one of the only reliable water sources the community could easily access. Despite this, some residents like Parks still use their wells.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Residents and organizations have made several attempts to bring clean water to their community. Elected officials like Democratic state Rep. James Talarico, who is running for U.S. Senate, brought heightened national attention to the residents\u2019 living conditions.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cNinety-four families call this majority-Black community in Dallas County home. For years, they have lived without safe, clean water or basic sewer infrastructure because the people in power have failed them,\u201d Talarico said in a written statement to The 19th. \u201cIn the richest country on earth, that is a moral failure. Access to clean drinking water is a basic human right. It\u2019s time for change. In the Senate, we can tackle our state\u2019s growing water crisis by funding the infrastructure needed to get safe, reliable water to communities like Sand Branch.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Action plans have been drawn, and even some funding disbursed. In August 2020, the Texas Water Development Board provided $450,000 to the Sandbranch Development and Water Supply Corp (SDWSP), a volunteer-run corporation.\u00a0<\/p>\n

As of this August, however, the project has not progressed. In an emailed statement, the SDWSP told The 19th that the organization is still completing preliminary analysis and planning with the initial funding and is currently pursuing additional funding for design and implementation.<\/p>\n

In 2005, Dallas County moved 36 families because their homes were in a flood zone<\/a>, KERA News reported and, in 2016, the county again tried to relocate residents. While some Sand Branch community members opted for the moving stipend, which was an estimated few thousand dollars according to Parks, the proposed buyouts weren\u2019t enough to make it economically feasible for many people.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Plans for annexation have been brought forward and spearheaded by the Community Movement Builders, an organization focused on assisting low-income and working class Black families, which would require at least 100 resident signatures.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt should have been annexed a long time ago by the city of Dallas, but you know, if I\u2019m being honest, most people don\u2019t want to handle the responsibility of what\u2019s already been done with the contamination,\u201d said Derek Avery, co-founder and president of the Water for Sand Branch Coalition and a close associate of Parks.<\/p>\n

Sand Branch falls under District 3 County Commissioner John Wiley Price\u2019s jurisdiction but, according to Parks and Avery, his long-standing position on how to address the community\u2019s lack of water infrastructure \u2013 to relocate residents by giving them a stipend to move \u2014 is less than satisfactory. And in light of Saturday\u2019s grassfire, people like Parks feel more let down than ever by what they consider to be county officials\u2019 detachment from the community.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cHe wants to pay people to move out of here, but he wants to give us a little tiny money,\u201d she said. \u201cAnd then if you don\u2019t own property and you just rent, they wouldn\u2019t give you anything \u2026 Then what I would have to do is move to another place to rent another place with higher rent, and, like I said, I don\u2019t have the income to do that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Price was on the scene during efforts to contain the fire, but, according to Parks, has made little effort to actually involve himself with the constituents beyond brief appearances.\u00a0 She said that she believes Price\u2019s lack of support has made drawing widespread attention to the community more important than ever.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s just all show, and it really sucks because that\u2019s the person that we need to at least change his mind and to at least speak to us,\u201d Parks said. \u201cYou don\u2019t have to speak to everybody \u2014 speak to me. I\u2019m the community leader, speak to me. And he won\u2019t do it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Wiley did not respond to questions from The 19th in time for publication.<\/p>\n

According to Avery, Sand Branch has become a political hot potato. \u201cDallas County says it\u2019s the city\u2019s problem, the city says it\u2019s Dallas County\u2019s problem. Seagoville wants nothing to do with it, so it\u2019s a kick-the-can-down-the-road issue, and we\u2019re here to stop the can.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Additionally, residents are seeking to introduce a bond proposition that, if approved, could fund a permanent water and sewer infrastructure and flood mitigation in Sand Branch and other areas without water infrastructure. But they\u2019ve encountered road blocks, the biggest one being timing. According to Avery, the likelihood of the proposal being placed on the November ballot is slim, leaving its earliest chance at passing in November of next year.<\/p>\n

Most of the troubles that Sand Branch faces arise from its status as an unincorporated community.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a complicated issue,\u201d said Ariadna Sanchez, an assistant professor of public affairs and planning at the University of Texas at Arlington who has been studying the community. \u201cBecause it\u2019s unincorporated, zoning doesn\u2019t apply to the community.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

In the early 2000s, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, known as FEMA, designated Sand Branch as a floodplain, which stalled development and required it to comply with floodplain regulations including elevating houses, a process that Sanchez said is cost-prohibitive and complicated.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd so that led to demolitions and deterioration of the housing stock,\u201d she said. \u201cNewer residents live mostly in mobile homes or recreational vehicles that obviously have deficiencies and not proper insulation.\u201d<\/p>\n

The absence of accessible public transportation adds to the community\u2019s isolation, and leaves residents without options. Last October, Parks said, a friend of hers was struck and killed by a truck while walking to work early morning.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cYou can\u2019t get anywhere,\u201d she said. \u201cThere\u2019s people literally that are stuck here in Sand Branch and nobody cares. The water plant is next door. It\u2019s just sad. It\u2019s not anybody\u2019s fault, but I think so much more can be done.\u201d<\/p>\n

On Father\u2019s Day, a crew of volunteers met on an open plat of grass in Sand Branch. Next to them was a collapsible table with chips, hamburger buns and value-priced sodas, and people hoisted a tent for a makeshift free-of-charge barbershop, the overhead canvas offering a reprieve from the sweltering heat. Throughout the morning, more volunteers and residents trickled in, bringing with them donations like sanitary pads, blankets, dog food and first-aid equipment such as Neosporin and Band-Aids. As the day continued, pallets of bottled water arrived by truckload.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The event was a cookout doubling as a community drive. At the center of the activities was Parks. On a nearby wooden shipping skid, she laid out appliances she\u2019d acquired to give away, many of them she didn\u2019t even own herself: electric pressure cookers, an inflatable bed, an air fryer, a hot plate and other household staples hard to come by on their strip of land.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThese are the raffle items. How cool is that?\u201d she said as she pointed at the goods. Events like this are common, according to Parks, who often hosts with other organizations like Avery\u2019s Water for Sand Branch Coalition and Dallas Champions Academy, an organization aimed at helping under-resourced youth in South Dallas.<\/p>\n

The drives are just one way that she has invested her time in Sand Branch. Starting in January, both she and Avery have begun hiring people in the community to complete manual tasks throughout the neighborhood like putting tarps on roofs as a means for these residents to make money.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cYou can see a big difference. It\u2019s not everything, it\u2019s just working with what we can. But the community is getting stronger and they know that some people are there for them,\u201d Parks said.<\/p>\n

Parks understands the need for permanent water infrastructure in Sand Branch. But her eyes are on the immediate needs of her children, her family, her friends \u2014 her home.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cEverybody wants to fight for forever water, OK? And I get that we want water here, but we will not make it to the forever water if we don\u2019t take care of the now.\u201d<\/p>\n

Meet Lauren Nuttal and read more of their reporting on gender, politics and policy<\/a><\/p>\n

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