Fair Park businesses cleaning up again after second wastewater main break

DALLAS - Businesses by Fair Park are working to clean up after a Dallas wastewater main broke, again.

The latest break happened when a wastewater main failed at Robert B. Cullum and 4th Street on Friday. But business owners said the same thing had happened just two weeks earlier.

On Friday, Aimee McArdle was working to clean up all the damage done to her husband's barbershop, Rob’s Chop Shop, the first time a sewage pipe overflowed January 16 when the same thing happened again.

“It's awful, we had sewage water running through our shop two weeks ago like a river,” McArdle said,

Shannon McDade, owner of Rampage Beauty and Barber Salon, was also flooded on January 16, making Friday’s second flood all the more unbelievable.

“As I walked into work 11:00 a.m., water was coming out the door,” McDade said. “All over again, the smell.”

The city told FOX4 in an email, "Dallas Water Utilities set up a bypass pumping operation to control the wastewater overflow.  The bypass pumping captures wastewater flows at one manhole and bypasses around the damaged area into another manhole downstream."

It's unclear if that's action the city took after the first or second overflow.

McDade has been in business right across the street from Fair Park's main entrance for 11 years.

“I want them to figure out what's the problem, fix the problem, and  take care of the taxpayers. Loss of business,” McDade said.

The McArdles are supposed to be celebrating 25 years of business at Rob's Chop Shop barbershop.

“As you can see this shop is in disarray, my husband cannot work in here,” McArdle said.

McArdle and McDade say what's most frustrating is not being able to get any answers from the city.

“It smells horrific, we had to take matters into our own hands. We have plugs in our shops go the tools to pull the lids, they are simply not doing anything, not taking responsibility,” McArdle said.

McDade was blunt with her assessment of the city.

“They just need to do their job,” she said.

A city spokeswoman said there is no public health threat, but the public is reminded to avoid contact with soil or water in the affected areas. The city did not respond to a question about if and how the business owners will be compensated.