Commercial Roofing Contractors in Lake Dallas, TX

Reporting bad landlords who won’t fix apartments to maintain adequate living conditions should be easier for Dallas tenants, especially for those who are the most vulnerable because of their economic or immigration status.

It has been a little over a month since this newspaper reported the hazardous conditions endured by Bachman Lake-area tenants, including moldy walls, pest infestations and leaky roofs. This is not a case of “they get what they pay for.” Residents said they are paying up to $1,400 a month, close to the rent average in the Dallas area.

For these tenants, most of them with limited English skills, navigating the city’s bureaucracy to report code violations has been frustrating. They said they rarely see results. “We are not living for free; we are paying,” Bachman Lake resident Claudia Cruz, 38, told us.

The good news is that the city has taken more proactive steps in recent months. On Thursday, Bachman Lake residents will meet with their council member, Omar Narvaez, to address their concerns. City departments including Code Compliance and the Office of Equity and Inclusion are taking a more active role reaching out to tenants in community forums.

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The city is considering updating a “chronic nuisance abatement” ordinance to make sure the apartments comply with its rules for rental homes. Narvaez told us he is coordinating with the city attorney in crafting this rule.

Stronger ordinances can help, but ultimately, cracking down on bad landlords will require more staff and political will. Code Compliance has 20 inspectors for apartment complexes in the entire city. City leaders should take a closer look at whether Dallas is efficiently using its resources to enforce the rules that it passed some years ago to improve rental living conditions.

In Bachman Lake, 2 out of 3 residents are Hispanic. There are about 43 apartment complex properties and 7,000 units registered with the city in that area, according to a Dallas Morning News analysis of city records. Many of these residents are immigrants or from mixed-status families and are often Spanish-only speakers. For them, complaining to apartment managers sometimes carries the risk of retaliation and eviction.

The city of Dallas website already has information in several languages, including links about eviction proceedings and resources for tenants in the Fair Housing Division page. Code Compliance inspectors are giving out flyers in Spanish, and they report more residents are attending their meetings. Daisy Torres, director of 311, told us the 311 website will be available in Spanish this spring, but the app will take longer to translate, with a launch date yet to be determined.

Building trust between tenants and city officials is an ongoing issue, and it will take time. This is why nonprofits already working with these residents, including Dallas Area Interfaith and Bachman Lake Together, will continue to be involved, Narvaez said.

Bachman Lake is not the only neighborhood where residents are complaining about deteriorating apartment living conditions. That is all the more reason for city officials to review their infrastructure for dealing with this problem.

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When you think of Texas, it is easy to picture desert and scrublands with no water in sight. However, Texas actually has more water than you think. The enormous state is home to more than 7,000 lakes and reservoirs! And over a dozen of those lakes are located close to Dallas.

If you want to hit the water on one of the many Dallas area lakes, you may wonder which one offers the best experience. That depends on what you are looking for. Some are large enough to hold plenty of boats. Others are deep enough to provide exceptional fishing. Be careful not to fall in, though. Some of the lakes are quite deep and rival other record holders in the state. But what is the deepest lake in the Dallas area? Keep reading to find out!

What is the Deepest Lake Near Dallas?

The deepest lake in the Dallas metro area is Joe Pool Lake. It sits just south of I20 and reaches a depth of 75 feet. However, it is not one of the state’s natural lakes. Instead, it is the brainchild of the Trinity River Authority, the US Army Corps of Engineers, the Joe Pool Lake Planning Council, and the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. The collaborators officially opened the lake in 1989.

Now, Joe Pool Lake is an extremely popular destination for Dallas and Fort Worth residents. It has two state parks and two local parks overlapping its shorelines. The lake also has seven boat ramps, a marina, and two campgrounds nearby.

The shoreline is over 60 miles long. So, there is plenty of space for the many visitors. When Joe Pool Lake is full, its surface area is over 7,400 acres. That ample amount of water is perfect for water sports and fishing.

Where Is Joe Pool Lake Located on a Map?

Joe Pool Lake is located between Dallas and Fort Worth, and in parts of Dallas, Ellis, and Tarrant counties. It is four miles south of Grand Prairie on Mountain Creek, a Trinity River tributary.

What Animals Live in Joe Pool Lake?

The fish most abundantly found in Joe Pool Lake are white crappie, white bass, largemouth bass, and channel catfish. Other fish living in the lake include sunfish, bluegill, flathead catfish, yellow bass, and blue catfish.

Despite the metropolitan area surrounding the lake, larger animals are roaming around the edges of Joe Pool Lake. Residents have increasingly sighted bobcats and coyotes.

How is Fishing at Joe Pool Lake?

Anglers love stopping by Joe Pool Lake year-round. It has an abundance of fish most years. However, in some years, fishing is reportedly a little tough. Most years, largemouth bass are the most popular fish to catch. However, due to the lake’s popularity among fishermen, it does have size and bag limits. Take a few moments to familiarize yourself with the regulations before you go. You will find them on the official website.

What Is the Deepest Lake in Texas?

The title for the deepest lake in the state goes to Lake Amistad. This expansive body of water sits along the Rio Grande, at the border with Mexico. The reservoir was a joint construction project between both countries. It is 217 feet deep and 64,900 acres.

What Is the Deepest Lake in the United States?

Crater Lake is the deepest lake in the entire United States. It is a stunning blue lake in Oregon. However, the amazing thing is that it does not have any inlets. Instead, its shocking blue color comes from snowmelt and rainfall. It is a natural lake formed by a volcanic eruption and it became a national park in 1902.

It is 1,943 feet deep. And you can swim in it, though you may not want to. Due to its elevation and water source, the lake is typically freezing cold. The lake is large and boasts a 33-mile road around its shoreline. Known as the Rim Road, this epic trip has over 30 pullouts, so you can snap all the photos you want!

ARGYLE — No. 3-ranked Argyle started strong and never looked back as it secured a series sweep of Denton-area foe Lake Dallas on Friday with a 5-0 victory.

The Eagles posted a second straight shutout of the Falcons following Wednesday's 12-0, run-rule win in both teams' district opener. Strong pitching played a part in both of the victories, perhaps even more so in Friday's lower-scoring affair.

Argyle starter Reid Ross threw six shutout innings as he allowed just two hits and one walk, then Baylor pledge Hudson Emeterio relieved him in the seventh and struck out all three batters he faced.

"The story of the two games this week is really, really good pitching," Argyle coach Ricky Griffin said. "I thought we swung the bats a bit better on Wednesday than we did tonight, but [Lake Dallas] had something to do with it, too. I'm really, really pleased with the pitching."

With the win, Argyle (12-3-2, 2-0) remains unbeaten in District 7-5A play during its first season at the 5A level. Lake Dallas (10-5, 0-2) will continue pursuing its first district win of the season next week during its series with Ryan.

Argyle started strong as Ross set Lake Dallas down in order. The Eagles plated three runs in the bottom half of the first inning on an RBI single by Colton Roquemore, then a failed double-play attempt scored one more before Alex D'Angelo stole home.

Ross stayed on a roll from then on, facing the minimum in the first five innings as a fourth-inning single was quickly negated by a 6-4-3 double play. Argyle found more offense in the bottom of the fifth as D'Angelo drew a walk and advanced to second on a passed ball before Hunter Sandifer singled him in.

"We're a group, big family here," Roquemore said. "We stay connected; a lot of guys returned from last year. We're having fun playing ball."

Ross ran into his most trouble of the night in the top of the sixth with runners on first and second, but he forced a flyout to escape unscathed. The Eagles then scored once more in the bottom of the sixth inning as Roquemore singled in Grady Emerson, though the potential for more runs ended as they stranded the bases loaded.

Emeterio entered for the seventh inning and fanned all three hitters to seal the victory.

Roquemore helped lead the way for Argyle at the plate, hitting 2 for 4 with a team-high two RBIs coming on a pair of singles.

"Just confidence. Confidence is key," said Roquemore of what fueled his success hitting. "I just go in there and think I'm going to win against a pitcher. That's helped me a lot recently."

Emerson went 2 for 3 with a walk and two runs scored, while Davis posted a 2-for-3 outing as he reached once on an error along with two singles and a walk. Sandifer batted 2 for 3 with the Eagles' lone extra-base hit on a double alongside a walk.

For Lake Dallas, Logan Steele and Cash Conner came through with the team's only two hits, and Conner reached a second time on the lone walk. Starting pitcher Riggs Billingsley was solid, allowing four hits and two earned runs in three innings of work. Conner allowed five hits, four walks and one earned run in three innings of work.

Coming off a pair of big district-opening wins, Argyle has some strong momentum rolling that it will hope to carry into its upcoming games. The Eagles were back in action Saturday against Addison Trinity Christian, then return to district play Tuesday versus Richland.

Griffin's main emphasis to his team is the need to show up mentally ready for every game they play.

"The biggest difference is every Tuesday-Friday, you have to play well to win," Griffin said. "You have to show up mentally every Tuesday and Friday. If you don't, then in this district — and it's a tough district — you get behind and it's going to be tough to catch up.

"You have to come to the ballpark every Tuesday-Friday ready to play. I've challenged them to do that, and they've done it twice. We'll see if that can continue."

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CORINTH — Trailing 4-0 after several first-inning miscues and 5-0 midway through the fourth, it seemed not much could go right for Lake Dallas in Friday's district bout with Ryan.

The Lady Falcons slowly turned the tide, though, rallying with two runs in the bottom of the fourth and taking the lead via a four-run fifth inning. Two more insurance runs in the sixth helped solidify the turnaround in an 8-5 victory.

Lake Dallas improved to 1-1 in district play with the win after a loss to Argyle earlier this week, while the Lady Raiders (15-6, 0-2 in district) dropped their second straight after a 6-5 loss to Birdville earlier in the week.

First-year Lake Dallas coach Sonia Ferrell-Foutch was proud of her team's mental toughness to rally for the victory.

"We have to be mentally tough and fight every inning," Ferrell-Foutch said. "We can't give in to anything that's going on. You have to go up to the plate and show up, every at-bat."

The aforementioned first-inning Lake Dallas struggles helped break the game open for Ryan. The Lady Raiders scored one run on a dropped throw by the first baseman, another on an RBI single where the center fielder could not make a tough catch on a fly ball, then two others crossed the plate on passed balls.

Ryan scored once more in the top of the fourth after a pair of walks set the table for an RBI single by Olivia Buettner, who also got the start in the circle.

From there, Lake Dallas turned the tables in taking advantage of several Ryan miscues in the bottom half of the inning. Three dropped throws at first base helped the Lady Falcons score once on one of the errors, then later on a sacrifice groundout to make it 5-2 in Ryan's favor after four.

Lake Dallas scored four more runs in the fifth to take the lead for good.

One came on a pitch that found its way past the catcher, another on an RBI single by Katie Poppe and two more runs scored on a dropped third strike that was relayed to first base followed by an errant throw back home with no outs recorded on the play.

Two more runs came across in the sixth as Lake Dallas loaded the bases thanks to an error and a pair of bunt singles, then plated two of the baserunners on a dropped catch in left field.

"They had some competitive at-bats," Ryan coach Matt Buettner said. "The small ball game got us in that last inning. They deserve credit, they competed really well. We made our fair share of mistakes along the way, as did they.

"It was a typical district game where it comes down to a few little plays, and they made a few more than we did."

Abby Kell helped lead the way for Lake Dallas, going 1 for 2 on the night with a bunt single and two walks. Poppe posted a 2 for 4 night with a pair of singles and the one RBI.

Zoe Christensen had a strong relief appearance for the Lady Falcons, going 3 2/3 innings with two strikeouts, two hits allowed, two walks and no earned runs.

Olivia Buettner had a standout day at the plate for Ryan, going 4 for 4 with one RBI. Alexa Lowry went 1 for 3 with a single and a walk, while Reagan Nicholl posted an 0 for 2 night with two walks.

As they look to capture their first district win at home Monday against Grapevine, the Lady Raiders' focus is simple.

"We just need to play catch better," Matt Buettner said. "Honestly, that's our biggest issue right now. We've only given up one earned run in two games. Playing simple catch, the team that does that better tends to be in front quite often. We just need to relax and play catch."

Lake Dallas will look to carry the momentum from Friday's win to Monday when they host Grapevine.

"I'm very excited to see where we go," Ferrell-Foutch said. "They have lots, lots of talent. I just need them to believe it all the time. I'm just really proud, very proud of them. They're going to be really great when they believe it."

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You might have heard that the U.S. House yesterday approved the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), clearing the way for our defense budget next year to hit a record $858 billion (after the Senate and president give their approval, which is expected next week). What does that have to do with little White Rock Lake?

Packed into the NDAA are all sorts of measures unrelated to military spending. There’s the Daniel Anderl Judicial Security and Privacy Act, for example, which aims to protect federal judges and their families and which some folks have a beef with because it’ll hide Ginni Thomas’ misdeeds. Also included in the NDAA is something called the Water Resources Development Act, which authorizes the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to do all sorts of stuff with infrastructure and flood control and so on. That’s where White Rock Lake comes in.

“It allows us to collaborate with the Corps of Engineers on next steps for a dredge,” says Councilwoman Paula Blackmon, who represents District 9, within which the lake lies. “It’s the first step in a long dating process.”

To continue with the councilwoman’s analogy, Dallas just slid into the Corps’ DMs. We’re at the stage where Dallas is like, “Hey, Corps, have you seen the second season of White Lotus yet?” And the Corps is like, “No. But we hear it’s great! So you got a hardwood forest?” The actual hookup, the part where we get some of those sexy federal dollars, is still a ways away.

Here was the last update we had on the project, from 2020. Depending on how this works out, getting the lake dredged and squared away will cost between $50 million and $80 million. In addition to federal dollars, the city will be looking to the Texas Legislature for help. And then there’s the city’s planned 2024 bond program, which will kick in some more cash.

It’ll all be spent to return the lake to something more closely resembling its intended state. Parts of the northern end of the lake have silted in so much that the water is only 6 feet deep. When the water level drops, as it sometimes does, ugly stuff happens. A healthy ecosystem—for fish, waterfowl, and humans—requires action. Yesterday we got some.