Celina police are trying to track down the person who dumped sewage into a public pond this week.[[320345581,C]]
They believe a truck that vacuums porta-potties released between 2,000 and 3,000 gallons of sewage into the pond at Old Celina Park sometime late Wednesday night or early Thursday morning.
Park workers noticed debris and a foul smell Thursday afternoon, and they also saw blue disinfectant that is typically found in toilets.
The park is now closed to the public.
"That's just horrible," Celina resident Jerry Fears said. "It's not just what you're doing to the lake but what are you doing to the kids. They can't even go play in their own park in their own city anymore. That's just pathetic."
Celina Mayor Sean Terry said the pond water is used to irrigate the playing fields at the park. All games for this weekend have been canceled.
"My first reaction was why would somebody do this? We spend a lot of money on this park," the mayor said.
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Insurance is paying for Hazmat crews to clean up the mess. Over the weekend, they'll work to get oxygen levels back to normal so fish don't die.
"We're bringing in two more aerifiers to put into our north end of the park," Terry said. "Some things float to the bottom, so hopefully those things, they should float up and we should suck all that out, clean all around the edges where you can see that toilet paper and that dye and those chemicals."
Police said what happened could be a felony depending on damages and the cost to clean it up. Early estimates are as high as $40,000.
Investigators are checking travel logs of contractors at nearby construction sites to try to track down the person responsible.
"That person doesn't need that job anymore, period. They need to be let go," Fears said.
Old Celina Park will remain closed at least through the weekend.