Residents cry foul over ‘duck muck’ dumping

Texas’ environmental agency remains quiet about its investigation of the local site where a contractor is dumping silt dredged from the Spring Lake Park pond.

Prompted by nearby residents’ complaints, Texas Commission on Environmental Quality staff inspected the site Aug. 9, more than six weeks ago. On Thursday, TCEQ spokeswoman Andrea Morrow declined to comment on the investigation because it is “ongoing.”

Morrow said the TCEQ inspector has 60 days to file a final report after the investigation is completed, and she recommended requesting the report again “in a couple of weeks.”

Tatum Excavating Co., the contractor hired to dredge the pond, owns the dump site at County Road 2311 and Hudson Lane. The site is being operated legally and neighbors have nothing to fear, company Vice President Ross Sarine said.

But some who live near the site have expressed concern about the silt’s potential to contaminate groundwater and air. It contains organic material, including wildlife feces—some have taken to calling it “duck muck”—and complaints have focused on its odor.

An $875,000 project to dredge the park pond began in July. Neither Tatum Excavating nor the Texas-side Parks and Recreation Department has said when the work will be finished.

The goal is to deepen the pond from about 3 feet to 10 feet, resulting in aesthetic improvements and a healthier environment for wildlife and aquatic plants. Tatum also will reinforce the pond’s side slopes with stone and install a flagstone border.