A previously recorded video showing a Hindu religious ceremony in a Denton lake has resurfaced online, sparking backlash and drawing criticism from U.S. Rep. Brandon Gill over potential environmental impacts.
The footage, circulating on X, appears to show a group of individuals standing in a lake and placing offerings and other materials into the water.
“Dumping offerings and materials into lakes is unacceptable. It harms fish and pollutes our local waters. We need to protect Texas ecosystems,” one widely shared post stated. The footage is dated November 7, 2024, though that timing has not been independently verified. It was recorded at Soil Conservation Service Site 16 Reservoir in Denton County.
Chhat Puja in Denton, Texas
Dumping offerings and materials into lakes is unacceptable. It harms fish and pollutes our local waters. We need to protect Texas ecosystems. pic.twitter.com/S34vEkIkiF
— CyberGreen09 (@CyberGreen09) March 25, 2026
Kayla Herrod, Denton deputy director of marketing and communications, told The Dallas Express that the festival was a “permitted event” at the South Pond of North Lakes Park.
“Parks staff met with organizers to review guidelines, including cleanup expectations for the tributes used in the ceremony,” she told DX. “Afterward, staff removed any remaining materials to maintain the pond’s cleanliness and appearance.”
The Dallas Express also reached out to officials with the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, but they did not comment in time for publication.
Chhath Puja is a four-day Hindu festival in which congregants gather near bodies of water to pray and offer to the “Sun God.” The multi-day observance includes a ritual where worshippers stand knee-deep in water and offer “Arghya” to the setting sun.
The local organizers have promoted events like these in North Texas. “Join us for our annual Chhath Puja celebration with traditional rituals and cultural programs. This sacred festival honors the Sun God and Chhathi Maiya with devotion and community spirit,” the DFW Chhath Pooja and Cultural Center stated on its website for a 2025 event.
The nonprofit says its mission is to celebrate Madhesi traditions from Nepal in North Texas.
Environmental concerns tied to large-scale Chhath Puja celebrations have been raised in other contexts. In 2024, the Delhi High Court cited pollution levels in the Yamuna River in restricting certain activities, stating the river was unsafe for use.
“Given the alarming state of pollution in the Yamuna, it would be harmful for devotees to use the river for Chhath Puja,” the court stated, according to The New Indian Express.
The controversy has also drawn political reaction, including from Congressman Brandon Gill, who was responding to a separate video circulating online that showed individuals pouring milk into a Denton-area lake. It is unclear whether that footage is connected to the permitted Denton event.
“I don’t want Third World religious ceremonies taking place in my community’s public waterways,” Gill wrote on X, posting a video of participants in a Hindu ritual placing food in a lake.
A Denton-area Chhath Puja celebration took place in late October 2025 at North Lakes Park, according to event listings.
I don’t want Third World religious ceremonies taking place in my community’s public waterways. https://t.co/efhgtVR4eL
— Brandon Gill (@realBrandonGill) March 26, 2026
The controversy comes amid broader demographic changes in Texas, where the Indian-American population has grown significantly in recent years.
According to census estimates, more than 450,000 Indian Americans now live in Texas, roughly doubling since 2010.
As previously reported by The Dallas Express, data from the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services show that approximately 72% of H-1B visas are awarded to workers from India.
The Dallas Express reached out to the DFWCPCC for comment, but did not receive a response by the time of publication.
Chhath Puja participants often do not leave the food offerings in the water, but take them home to share with family and friends, according to the Times of India. Though after the nation’s celebrations, “waste material from gatherings is often disposed of directly into the rivers, resulting in severe depletion in their water quality.”
Texas law prohibits illegal dumping into waterways under the Texas Litter Abatement Act, with penalties ranging from misdemeanors to felony charges depending on the volume and intent.
