In community meetings, Springville residents specifically described illegal dumping as a longstanding problem associated with environmental racism. People who do not live in Springville regularly and illegally dump tires, dirt, and waste, some of it toxic, increasing communal exposure to risks of pollution and fires, pointing to disproportionate vulnerability to extreme climate events. This parallels the experience of other unincorporated communities of color and freedmen’s towns in the southern US (Purifoy 2021).
Although Dallas County’s floodplain designation is among the reasons Springville currently denies municipal water, all survey participants, especially long-term residents, concurred that they had not experienced the impact of severe flooding. On August 22, 2022, torrential rain affected many communities of the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex. One resident helped us document flooding in some low-elevation areas of Springville where there were high accumulations of waste. In contrast to surrounding communities, however, Springville land dried out quickly, the day after the flood, which may be an effect of large green areas throughout the community that allow rainwater infiltration. In light of this, there seems to be little empirical justification for the floodplain designation, particularly since it so adversely affects residents’ ability to improve their homes.
Figure 48. Picture taken by a resident illustrating the flooding after the torrential rain of August 22, 2022.
During our time in the field, there were at least two summer heatwaves and one wildfire. Residents agreed that both are threatening and devastating to the community. Toxic waste from illegal dumping exacerbates fires, especially during heat waves, and inability to access municipal water makes fires especially difficult to extinguish. Despite some racial tensions, however, the 2022 wildfire brought most Springville residents together; those with wells shared their water to help protect homes and lives. This response bred greater community solidarity among residents of all races. While our research does not allow us to provide a conclusive answer, this suggests a potential experiential point of entry for building a stronger grassroots environmental justice movement.
Figure 49. A picture taken by a resident illustrating a wildfire in the summer of 2022.
Figure 50. Debris after the fire of an aging residential structure