Mansfield Residents Fight Wastewater Plant

It's March 31st.

This is Dallas News Today, AI-powered stories from your city.

Residents near Manspeel, Texas are battling a developer's plan for a wastewater treatment

plan right in their backyard.

The company, BL374, wants a state permit to release up to 490,000 gallons of treated

water daily into a local.

Tributary.

That water flows into creeks and eventually Joe Pool Lake, just under a mile from homes

in the rural Rendon area.

The pushback started last September when the application hit the Texas Commission on environmental

quality.

A public hearing drew crowds, including the Mansfield mayor, all voicing strong nose.

Fast forward to March 17th and a contested case hearing kicked off.

Like a mini-trial before an administrative judge who will advise the commission.

Locals like longtime resident Truman Goodman and brothers Paul and Darren Smith worry

it will wreck their quiet life.

They are talking flooding on their properties, dirty well water, e-coli risks in dry creeks

with no dilution, dying wildlife and nasty odors chasing, folks indoors.

These families pick the area for open spaces, not a sewage pit a quarter mile away.

Experts say the treated discharge should meet standards and might even help aquatic life,

but residents aren't buying it.

The developer calls it a standard setup that beats water quality rules.

Meanwhile, Mansfield officials are hunting alternatives, like piping waste to the city

system, though it could mean pricey new infrastructure.

Residents have until May 11th to pile on comments and testimony.

The commission meets June 26th to rule on the permit, so this rural showdowns still heating

up as folks fight to keep their creeks clean.