White Rock Lake near Winfrey Point. Photo by Renee Umsted.
Swimming in White Rock Lake is not allowed, and for good reason.
There’s so much trash in and around the lake itself, as the Advocate staff saw firsthand during a recent clean-up event with For the Love of the Lake.
Plus, water flows into the lake from creeks and rivers, bringing all sorts of pollution and garbage with it.
KERA did a series of videos profiling White Rock Lake in the 1970s. One discusses problems with traffic and shallow water, while another highlights potential uses for the natural resources and created structures around the park.
The reporter in a third video talks about whether the lake is suitable for swimming.
“We have better and safer places to swim: pools,” a water official tells the reporter.
Another official said swimming in the lake would be possible because no sewage waste runs into the water, only storm drainage. However, “you never know what people will throw into a storm drain,” the reporter says.
Watch the video from the G. William Jones Collection at SMU below.
