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Tyler neighbors upset about 'contaminated' pond, dead fish

Brown water and dead fish. That's the scene for people in one Tyler neighborhood, and they're blaming construction for the damage.

TYLER — People in one Tyler neighborhood are blaming their murky, dead-fished filled pond on construction at the Tyler Pounds Airport.

"I used to come down and feed the catfish," said Jim Lee, who has lived in Pleasant Retreat Lake for more than a decade. He said, "The lake was pristine. You could see the bottom."

When he moved to the neighborhood, he said the lake had a clear view to the bottom. It was one of the selling points to moving there.

"One of my grandkids really likes to fish. When he came the last time, he was so disappointed, because he said, 'I can't see any fish anymore'," Lee said.

What once was a pretty pond, is now a muddy mess.

He said anytime there are strong winds or heavy rains at all, it gets muddy for several months.

"The soil is exposed. When it gets rained on, the silt and sand and gravel will just wash away, and wash downstream. It causes siltation," said Smith County engineer Frank Davis.

Davis said it's inevitable.

Looking at aerial pictures of the pond from 2010 through 2016, the pond goes through phases of being clear and being murky. Davis said it depends on how much construction is going on.

Some of the blame from people living in the area has been put on the contractor, Reynolds & Kay.

According to TCEQ spokesperson Andrea Morrow, the contractor followed protocol and was in compliance.

A statement to CBS19 reads:

"The TCEQ’s most recent complaint investigation that was conducted on January 29, 2018, February 1, 2018, and February 13, 2018, to determine compliance with applicable construction storm water regulations did not document any violations."

That's good news, according to Davis. The clear, blue water will come back, as well as the fish, too.

"Someone needs to just help the residents out, and just get the lake back like it was," Lee said.

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