INGRAM, Texas – The deadly July 4 flooding that claimed more than 100 lives in the Kerr County area has left the Ingram community damaged and discouraged, but residents continue to rebuild.
However, some residents expressed concerns about their future due to the large bodies of water that run along their community.
“We started seeing the lake rise. And, as we did, we saw all kinds of things float by us,” neighbor Ann Carr during a Kerr County Commissioners Court meeting. “Propane tanks, kitchen appliances, you name it. And that concern led us to start visiting with people up the road.
Residents like Carr said they have reported seeing foul-smelling bubbles of oil and other pollutants rise through the lake.
Another neighbor, who wanted to remain anonymous after receiving pushback in his community, has said he’s worried there’s more than just trash.
"There’s stuff buried in all the silt that’s in there," the resident said. “Divers that were out there yesterday that had located and then went down and looked at the stuff right now out in front of our place. You know, they said there (are) at least three cars and some kind of RV camper out there. And they’re halfway buried in silt.”
A group of residents and local business owners are asking their local governments about the possibility of draining Lake Ingram to return the lake to normal.
During a Kerr County commissioners meeting, county judge Rob Kelly and other commissioners spoke about being in favor of a plan to drain the lakes but did mention the large cost it would entail.
There are also concerns, according to the commissioners, about the coordination between multiple regulatory agencies and a population of endangered mussels that reside along the Guadalupe River.
KSAT has reached out to city officials about the future of these plans and will update this story as it develops.
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