The City of Garland is working with a preservation group to restore a section of the Spring Creek Forest Preserve damaged earlier this year when crews worked on a sewer line that runs beneath it.
David Parrish, president of the Preservation Society for Spring Creek Forest, said his group has met with city officials – including the city manager, the mayor and representatives from Parks and Recreation and Public Works – to discuss how to protect the forest and maintain the city’s infrastructure.
“They're trying to ... thread the needle here, balance, you know, the needs of the preserve which is basically keeping the trees in the forest healthy, and also the creek and the needs of the wastewater,” Parrish said.
The 100-acre Spring Creek Forest is believed to be between 125 and 130 years old, according to the Old-Growth Forest Network. It was established as a preserve in the 1980s, the city said, but a sanitary sewer line had been installed below the area about 20 years prior. The line serves approximately 40,000 Garland residents and businesses, about 20% of Garland’s wastewater customers.
The issue began in May of last year, when a storm swept through Garland, flooding creeks and affecting infrastructure including sewer lines.
When the city needed to access about 55 manholes along the preserve, a private contractor was hired in June to begin clearing pathways near Halff and Fred E. Harris Parks.
City staff and the contractor involved were unaware of the “preserve’s sanctuary status and sensitive ecology,” according to an apology the city issued last month.
“Once this oversight came to light, the City halted clearing operations,” the message read.
The city said the clearing was intentional, but it didn’t inform the Spring Creek Preserve Society or Dallas County beforehand.
“The main thing that happened with us is that we were surprised to find them in there, basically building a road,” Parrish said.
He said so far there’s a preliminary outline for the restoration plan and a list of priorities.
“One is someone needs to go in and put something in to kind of stabilize the road so there's no erosion,” Parris said. “Everybody agrees on that. It's just coming up with the right plan.”
Going forward, Garland City Council member Carissa Dutton said all city staff and contractors need to be educated on the status of the preserve to avoid a something similar happening.
“We've destroyed an entire ecosystem,” she said during a workshop last month. “An oopsie like that can't be taken lightly at all.”
Priscilla Rice is KERA’s communities reporter. Got a tip? Email her at price@kera.org.
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