More than 1.5 million gallons of sewage spilled into White Rock Creek from Plano

A mechanical failure at a Plano water station spilled more than 1.5 million gallons of untreated waste into White Rock Creek before it was repaired Saturday.

Authorities said Monday they are monitoring the creek and aquatic life but have seen no damage.

Sewage began overflowing at about 2:40 p.m. Thursday from three manholes near 5510 West Plano Parkway after a valve failed at a water lift station.

The lift station, operated by the North Texas Municipal Water District, flooded. That led to the shorting of motors and electrical systems, said Alex Johnson, a spokesperson for the water district.

Plano officials estimated roughly 500 gallons of sewage were flowing into the creek per minute, city spokesman Steve Stoler said. The spill — which ended just before 5 a.m. Saturday — did not affect the city’s water supply, which remained safe to drink and use.

Plano notified the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, which is responsible for overseeing and regulating these types of incidents. The lift station is operating with some temporary pumping in place, and final repairs could take up to two weeks, Johnson said.

It is unclear how far the sewage flowed or whether it reached White Rock Lake to the south. The city of Dallas did not immediately respond to a request for information.

Heavy rain and the flushing of a fire hydrant helped dilute the spill, though, Stoler said.

Still, the spill prompted at least one group to revise its plans. The Corinthian Sailing Club moved its annual sailboat regatta from White Rock Lake to Lake Ray Hubbard over the weekend after it was notified of the spill.

“I would not want to fall in that water,” the club’s commodore Ralph Jones told The Dallas Morning News.

This is not the first time untreated sewage has flowed from Plano into White Rock Creek.

In June 2018, a ruptured wastewater pipe in Plano spilled 1 million gallons of raw sewage into White Rock Creek, forcing Dallas to suspend all recreational activities at White Rock Lake.