# This Texas town has gone 148 years without running water

> Sand Branch, 15 miles from Dallas, has never had water infrastructure despite being founded in 1878.
- Title: This Texas town has gone 148 years without running water
- Summary: Sand Branch, 15 miles from Dallas, has never had water infrastructure despite being founded in 1878. Sand Branch, a 148-year-old community just 15 miles from…
- Keywords: sand branch, dallas, texas, water crisis, running water, freedmen's settlement, dallas county, christina parks, derek avery, water for sand branch coalition, infrastructure, news
- Source: FOX 4 News Dallas-Fort Worth — https://fox4news.com/news/historic-community-near-dallas-has-never-had-running-water
- Author: Raksha Jayakumar
- Published: 2026-09-17T00:00:00+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: sand branch, dallas, texas, water crisis, running water, freedmen's settlement, dallas county, christina parks, derek avery, water for sand branch coalition, infrastructure, news
## 148 years without running water
Sand Branch, founded in 1878 just 15 miles south of Dallas, has never had running water in its entire history.
## Well water became contaminated
Residents used well water until 1964, when Dallas built a wastewater treatment plant nearby. The wells became contaminated with fecal matter and phosphates.
## FEMA blocks new construction
Residents live in campers or deteriorating homes. FEMA classifies the area as a floodplain, preventing building or renovations despite no floods in over a century.
## County offered relocation twice
Dallas County tried to relocate residents in 2002 and 2016. About 150 people accepted, but 150 others refused to leave their home.

> FEMA said if you're going to leave them here, you've got to build a levee. A levee cost us in 2003 somewhere between $7 and $10 million.
## An unofficial mayor steps up
Christina Parks runs a food pantry and delivers 100 warm meals door-to-door every Saturday. Her pantry is the only place offering bottled water all day.

> I get a peace of mind knowing that everybody is full.
## A coalition fights for solutions
Derek Avery founded the Water for Sand Branch Coalition to increase outreach. He says the solution could have been mapped out decades ago with political will.

> If my civil engineer and I can sit down in two and a half hours and map out the solution, this could have been solved decades ago.
## Asking for basic needs, not charity
Parks says the whole community is in crisis but residents are strong. They're not begging for help, just asking for basic needs like clean water.

> We are not begging for help, we are just asking for our basic needs.
## Key takeaway

Sand Branch, a 148-year-old community just 15 miles from Dallas, still has no running water and residents survive on donated bottled water.