Concern over swamp from a Dallas Water Utilities leak

Water supplies are precious in a heat wave. It turns out Dallas Water Utilities lost so much city water from a leak that it caused a swamp in a forest that activists said would normally be dry.

It happened near Rochester Park in the Great Trinity Forest.

Environmental Activist Ben Sandifer considers himself a guardian of that forest.

Sandifer said he knew something was wrong years ago when he noticed trees dying in a marshy area where there should have been dry ground.

He said he reported it to the city.

“Those complaints were not looked into as well as they should have. This problem festered for another year or two,” Sandifer said.

In March of 2022, Sandifer said he recorded a YouTube video of the wet forest, but the swamp continued to grow.

His friend Alexander Neal recorded a TikTok video Sunday of his kayak trip over what he called Dallas’s Blue Hole.

Wednesday, Neal said the water was more like a swimming pool than a natural river swamp.

“It is clear water. It’s got a little smell of chlorine to it,” he said.

From overhead Wednesday, the deep shaft water in the middle of the forest was visible.  The city of Dallas confirms there was a leak from a major 30-inch water supply line.

“It is ironic. You should be able to practice what you preach, especially in the water world,” Neal said.

Residents who use water for irrigation on the wrong day or at the wrong time can receive citations from the city of Dallas.

Sandifer said the enormous swamp is the result of millions of gallons of city water wasted.

"We have created an environment that is almost based solely on a waste of a water resource," Sandifer said.

He said the city should have been able to monitor water production and compare it with delivery to know there was a leak and get it fixed without causing a swamp.

“I wonder what recourse we have as citizens to hold our government accountable,” Sandifer said. “I hope in the future, the city of Dallas can look at this issue and work to ensure that it doesn’t happen again.”

Sandifer said the city deserves credit now for finally confirming the problem and announcing repair plans.

Dallas Water Utilities officials were not available for an interview, but spokesperson Catherine Cuellar issued a statement.

It said the city began investigating the issue in October 2022, and that pinpointing the leak took months due to the complexity of the system. It said water has been diverted around the leak to avoid further loss as repairs are made.  Repairs will take weeks.

The statement said the city used a de-chlorination process for water that was discharged to minimize impacts to wildlife.