texas

Dumped Oil Comes Close to Tainting North Texas Water Supply

The Collin County Sheriff’s Office is looking for the person responsible for dumping about 20 gallons of oil and anti-freeze into a creek that feeds into Lake Lavon.

Investigators say they received a call that four five gallon buckets of oil and two anti-freeze containers had been dumped into Snake Creek near Princeton on March 1. When they arrived, they found nearly a quarter acre of creek and land soaked in oil.

“Think about the wildlife, people who drink the water around here, we bathe in it, stuff like that. We try our hardest to keep our resource clean,” said Deputy Jessica Pond.

The county worked with crews from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality to get an expedited cleanup process.

Snake Creek feeds directly into Lake Lavon, one of the largest sources of drinking water for North Texans.

“How could someone be so stupid to literally put millions of people at risk that drink water out of here every day?” said Cindy Percival who’s called the lake home for nearly 30 years.

After four days and close to $30,000 worth of work, there are still traces of the oil that soaked water, trees and soil. However, the sheriff’s office says the spill was contained before it could make it to Lake Lavon, calling it a near miss.

“It’s a huge impact and that’s why we take this so seriously. That’s why the sheriff takes this and environmental policing as seriously as he does,” said Pond.

If found, the person responsible faces a felony charge, up to five years in prison and up to a $1,000,000 fine.

Anyone with information that would lead to a possible suspect is asked to call the Collin County Sheriff's Office. 

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