Joe Pool Lake and Village Creek-Lake Arlington: Implementing Watershed Protection Plans
The Trinity River Authority will develop a database of permitted and unpermitted septic systems and remediate failing septic systems within the Joe Pool Lake and Village Creek-Lake Arlington watersheds.
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Project Area
River Basin: Trinity
Water Bodies: Village Creek (0828A), Lake Arlington (0828), Joe Pool Lake (0838), Mountain Creek (0838A), Sugar Creek (0838B), Walnut Creek (0838C), Hollings Branch (0838D), Soap Creek (0838E), and unnamed tributary of Mountain Creek (0838F)
Location: Dallas, Ellis, Johnson, and Tarrant counties
Background
The Joe Pool Lake and Village Creek-Lake Arlington watersheds combined cover 447 square miles of both urban and rural lands that are undergoing rapid urbanization. Joe Pool Lake is a source of municipal water for the communities of Venus, Rockett, Mountain Peak, Sardis, and parts of Grand Prairie, and is expected to supply water for more cities in future.
Village Creek was initially on the 2010 Integrated Report for Surface Water Quality Section 303(d) list because of high concentrations of bacteria more than quadruple the state standard. Lake Arlington has concerns for high levels of nitrogen and chlorophyll-a. The Trinity River Authority developed the Village Creek-Lake Arlington watershed protection plan (WPP) to address these water quality impairments and concerns. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency accepted the WPP in 2019.
Within the Joe Pool Lake watershed, Mountain Creek has concerns for nitrate and Walnut Creek has not met water quality standards for primary contact recreation use due to high concentrations of bacteria since 2010. The Joe Pool Lake WPP was developed in 2019 and EPA accepted it in 2022.
Both the Joe Pool Lake and Village Creek-Lake Arlington WPPs list failing septic systems as a significant source of bacteria in the water, and prioritize finding, inspecting, and repairing faulty septic systems.
Back to topProject Description
September 2023 – August 2026
The Trinity River Authority will create a database of the locations and maintenance status of septic systems in the watershed. The database will help with future projects to identify critical areas where septic systems may be failing. It may also serve as a guide for county planners and septic system permitting authorities and may indicate areas that could be tied into existing sewer lines, or where a new regional wastewater treatment facility could be installed.
In addition, the river authority will provide residents with educational materials and workshops about septic system maintenance leading to better maintenance practices. Developing a financial assistance program for repairing and replacing up to 10 failing septic systems in the watersheds will eliminate a source of pollution.
For More Information
TRA's Joe Pool Lake WPP webpage
TRA's Village Creek-Lake Arlington WPP webpage
To find out more about the NPS Program, call 512-239-6682 or email us at nps@tceq.texas.gov.