The EPA was notified by its National Response Center of around 20 barrels discharged on May 6. That number was updated the following day.<\/p>\n
The damaged pipe is on the south side of East Lancaster Avenue, about three-fourths of a mile west of Green Oaks Boulevard. The Dallas-based pipeline company Energy Transfer is listed as the responsible party in the report.<\/p>\n
Energy Transfer did not immediately respond to a request for comment.<\/p>\n
EPA officials traced the discharge to the Village Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant on Northwest Green Oaks Boulevard, just north of Interstate 30. They observed crude oil in aeration basins, final clarifiers \u2014 large tanks where solids settle to the bottom \u2014 and the fats, oils and greases handling facility, where oils and floating solids are skimmed off the top of the wastewater.<\/p>\n
\u201cOil sheening and strong petroleum odors were observed in the aeration basins,\u201d the report states.<\/p>\n
They also observed a \u201cvery light sheen\u201d on the water where the facility discharges treated water into the West Fork of the Trinity River, but no recoverable oil was found on the water surface or vegetation near the site.<\/p>\n
Old wastewater drying beds used to clean contaminated water<\/p>\n
The Village Creek Drying Beds, about a mile northeast of the treatment plant, are being used to dry out the waste activated sludge \u2014 a byproduct of the water treatment process \u2014 that was contaminated by the oil, the Fort Worth water department<\/a> said in a statement.<\/p>\n \u201cThe vast majority of the oil was contained within the plant\u2019s primary treatment area and safely removed by environmental contractors,\u201d said Fort Worth water utility spokesperson Mary Gugliuzza in an emailed statement. \u201cThat material was then transported to one of the oil pipeline company\u2019s facilities for reclamation.\u201d<\/p>\n Crude oil floats on top of the water in a fats, oils and greases tank at the Village Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant on May 8, 2025.<\/p>\n Before the installation of the treatment plant, the drying beds were used to treat sewage. Wastewater was set out to evaporate in the beds, then the dried solids were hauled away and used as fertilizer.<\/p>\n \u201cUnfortunately, small amounts of residual oil did make it further into the treatment system, which disrupted our biological treatment process,\u201d Gugliuzza said. \u201cSpecifically, it affected the beneficial microbes \u2014 also known as biomass or activated\/waste activated sludge \u2014 that play a critical role in removing soluble organics found in domestic wastewater.\u201d<\/p>\n Although no longer in use, the drying beds are popular with migrating waterfowl and the local birdwatchers who enjoy observing them. The city allowed birders to conduct their activities on the property in the past, but the site has been closed to the public since May to \u201cprotect the health and safety of the public, as well as the workers involved,\u201d Gugliuzza said.<\/p>\n The city has observed signs of trespassing and vandalism at the site, including cut fences and tracks from motorcycles and all-terrain vehicles, which has \u201chighlighted regulatory and liability risks to the city, as well as safety concerns to the public,\u201d she said. These also played a role in the decision to close the drying beds off to the public.<\/p>\n The city will continue to restrict public access for the foreseeable future, but will look into ways to allow \u201climited and temporary access\u201d to wildlife groups.<\/p>\n \u201cWe appreciate the community\u2019s understanding and support as we work to restore full operations and improve access policies with plant operational flexibility and safety in mind,\u201d Gugliuzza said.<\/p>\n \u2018Always something in the air\u2019 in Arlington<\/p>\n Hundreds of oil and gas sites pepper the area around the site of the spill, including the Handley Generating Station, a natural gas power plant about a mile and a half to the west.<\/p>\n Ranjana Bhandari, a resident and activist with the environmental advocacy organization Liveable Arlington<\/a>, said she often smells odors of petrochemical production in the area.<\/p>\n \u201cIn this part of Arlington and Fort Worth, there\u2019s always something in the air,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n The EPA performed air monitoring in the vicinity of the spill, but did not find high levels of pollutants like carbon monoxide, hydrogen sulfide, volatile organic compounds and others.<\/p>\n Crude oil pools at the site of a damaged pipeline north of Lake Arlington on May 8, 2025. The leak of 2,600 barrels occurred two days prior and contaminated wastewater in the Fort Worth sewer system.<\/p>\n But for Bhandari, the spill represents the broader threat to public health presented by oil and gas production in the area.<\/p>\n \u201cThere are a lot of neighborhoods close by, so this just represents one more source of pollution and other risks to air we breathe, perhaps to ground water, as this incident shows, and to health and safety,\u201d she said. \u201cAt some point, I think at every level of government, there should be an accounting of how many different sources of oil and gas pollution there are concentrated in Arlington and neighboring cities, and what kind of threats they pose, and maybe we should not be adding to them.\u201d<\/p>\n The EPA said in a statement sent after publication that no \u201csignificant environmental impacts were detected around the incident area,\u201d and that any residents with concerns about their water quality can contact the city of Fort Worth and\/or the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality<\/a>. As for any possible fines or sanctions on the company responsible, the EPA spokesperson said the agency cannot comment on potential or ongoing enforcement actions.<\/p>\n According to a pipeline map maintained by the U.S. Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration<\/a>, a \u201chazardous liquid pipeline\u201d runs in a north-south direction at the site of the spill.<\/p>\n That administration did not immediately respond to a request for comment.<\/p>\n How will oil spill cleanup affect migrating birds?<\/p>\n As for the birds who stop of at the ponds during their migrations and others who stay year-round, Gugliuzza said the city has not observed any issues with waterfowl interacting with the waste-activated sludge. They tend to stay in the ponds at the east side of the site, and the sludge is in beds at the other end.<\/p>\n![\"Crude](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/12d4fa6cde5251e280c93ed99b956910.jpeg\"\/)
<\/p>\n![\"Crude](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/1752297044_994_41f5066f3a01e2028cd309fbd3911e0f.jpeg\"\/)
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