Following a recent fire and multiple explosions at a paint manufacturing company in Garland, local residents are reporting a “sewage” odor emanating from a nearby creek.
The Garland Fire Department responded to reports of a fire at a Sherwin-Williams plant in the early morning hours of August 7. Firefighters responding to the blaze reported multiple explosions, as previously reported by The Dallas Express.
Firefighters noted that foam retardant leaked into nearby sewers and creeks while they fought the flames. They warned that cleanup of the waterways could take weeks.
The city partnered with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Texas Commission for Environmental Quality (TCEQ) to aid in the cleanup process.
Officials have been testing water samples from “10 fixed locations in Duck Creek spanning 53 miles river miles into the Trinity River,” a message on the City of Garland website says.
The city reported on August 15 that contaminant levels in affected waters have decreased throughout the week. Moreover, the city claimed that the affected water now no longer presents a threat to public safety.
“It has been determined it is safe to release the waters being held by the retention dam in Duck Creek to restore the water flow to natural levels. The water is also safe for agricultural use again,” said the city in its announcement.
Despite these assurances, residents living near Duck Creek are concerned. Neighbors near the waterway complained about the smell of paint coming from the creek shortly after the fire. Now some are reporting sewage smells coming from the creek.
Jennifer Jones Ward, whose home is near Duck Creek, told CBS News that she and her family could not stand to linger outside the home for very long due to the “awful” smell wafting from the creek. The family said they began noticing the odor shortly after the contamination cleanup from the Sherwin-Williams fire began.
“When I got up, I could hardly breathe,” said Jennifer’s husband, Ronnie Ward, according to CBS News. “I was having a hard time. I had to use my inhaler.”
Further, the cause of the odor and its connection to the recent fire are in dispute by various government officials.
Jennifer Ward said she sent an email to the city about the problem and was informed that there was no sewer leak in her area.
However, a TCEQ employee visited the home and confirmed that the odor was indeed from sewage. The employee told Ward that the sewage leak was likely due to a sewage line being hit in the cleanup process.
A City of Garland spokesperson maintained that the creek was tested Wednesday, and no sewage was present. The city representative said the odor is likely from stagnant water and fish from the creek. Ward described the experience with the issue as “really frustrating.”
“We’ve been through enough. I feel like this should be made a priority at this point,” said Ward, according to CBS.
The EPA and TCEQ plan to continue monitoring and testing the affected waters to mitigate environmental and public health effects, the city website says.
