TEXARKANA, Texas - Paint spilled at the Bringle Lake Art Park is not a threat to the environment, a city official said Tuesday.
Closed cans of paint and other materials used to decorate the Bringle Lake spillway with art were left there over the weekend, when some were disturbed, possibly by vandals, and spilled onto concrete, Parks and Recreation Director Robby Robertson said. Parks and Rec staff cleaned up the site Monday, moving the painting supplies to a warehouse. The paint is nontoxic and does not threaten to run into the lake, Robertson said.
On Monday, a local woman took photographs of the scene before it was cleaned. Felicia Brooks said she reported the paint spills to Robertson, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality and the federal Environmental Protection Agency by telephone.
Robertson said the materials should have been stored indoors and will be in the future.
Volunteers this year transformed the spillway from a site covered with graffiti to a colorful showcase for local artists. The Texas Recreation and Parks Society-North Texas this month recognized the project with an Arts and Humanities Award. The award honors a "project or program that promotes cultural art for example: theatre, culinary, reading, painting, sculpting, drawing, quilting, etc.," according to a news release.