HOOD COUNTY, TX — A Canyon Creek lakefront resident says repeated wastewater releases from an Aqua Texas treatment plant have left her unable to swim, use her dock or safely enjoy the property she owns.

Her allegations come after Hood County Environmental Health officially reported three spills from the Aqua Texas-operated Canyon Creek Wastewater Plant on August 26, August 31 and September 2. County officials said an uncontrolled release of untreated material entered an inlet of Lake Granbury.

“We can’t go swimming. We can’t use the lake. We can’t do anything with the lakefront property that I own because it’s sewer,” the resident told Hood County Express.

The resident said she has filed numerous complaints with the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality and has maintained copies of the complaints, dates and related records.

“They’ve all been substantiated,” she said. “Raw sewage is going into the lake.”

Public records also show the Canyon Creek facility’s problems did not begin with the most recent spills. A January 2026 filing in Aqua Texas’ statewide rate proceeding states that the facility incurred five TCEQ enforcement actions between January 2020 and January 15, 2026, resulting in $33,637 in penalties.

The resident said she first personally discovered a major release in May after her husband called from their dock and said the water appeared to contain an oil spill.

She followed the dark material through the cove and said it led back toward the wastewater plant.

“I think this is sewage,” she recalled telling a neighbor.

She collected a sample and contacted the Brazos River Authority. According to the resident, an officer arrived within approximately 30 minutes, inspected the material underneath her dock, accepted the sample and went to the plant to investigate.

She also said neighbors living closer to the facility told her similar conditions had occurred for months. Some reportedly believed the odor and discoloration were caused by the lake naturally turning over.

“They didn’t realize that it was raw sewage,” she said.

The resident said the affected cove is normally a quiet area where boaters anchor and allow children to swim away from the lake’s main channel. Several nearby properties are also used as short-term rentals, raising concerns that visitors may have entered the water without knowing about the spill.

She credited Hood County Environmental Health Director Jeannie Stacks and county personnel with responding quickly after she warned that families and children were still entering the water.

“Hood County took immediate action and came out and posted signs all around here,” she said. “Hood County Environmental is doing everything they can.”

The wastewater plant is not owned or operated by Canyon Creek or Hood County. It is owned and operated by Aqua Texas.

At the state level, TCEQ monitors unauthorized wastewater discharges and can pursue enforcement for violations. Texas regulations require permitted facilities to report unauthorized discharges, document their cause and volume, take action to stop the release and assess potential effects on human health and the environment.

The resident said she is now preparing a complaint for the Environmental Protection Agency and believes Aqua Texas has failed to permanently correct the underlying problem.

She also criticized the cost of the company’s service, saying her household pays approximately $100 each month before using any water, followed by additional usage charges.

“We are paying a premium for this water service and sewer service,” she said. “They just do not give a crap about this community. All they care about is the money they’re getting out of us.”

Aqua Texas states publicly that water quality and continuous service are its highest priorities and says it employs licensed operators, engineers and other experts to provide safe water and wastewater service.

Families and children have been reportedly swimming within visual distance of the sewage dumping as many homes locally are rented out as Airbnb Short term vacation rentals. City of Granbury claims there are no reported water-quality concerns at Granbury City Beach, this comes as thousands of citizens have made public the lack of trust in the City of Granbury's statements.

The central question is no longer whether untreated wastewater entered Lake Granbury. Hood County has confirmed that it did.

The questions now are why the releases keep happening, how much untreated material entered the lake and what TCEQ will do to ensure Aqua Texas finally stops it.