I just bumped into reporter Gary Reaves from Channel 8.

We were both on the hunt this morning for what a local photographer recently uncovered in White Rock Creek.

Seems Dylan Hollingsworth, who contributes photographs to the Dallas Observer, was here in Lake Highlands earlier in the week photographing his nieces.

The pictures he ended up with, however, probably weren't what he set out to take.

His photos, which you can see here, captured the mess that has accumulated in the creek just off Goforth Road.

It's not a scene easily visible from the two-lane black top, which Gary, his cameraman and I all quickly discovered.

This is where we parted ways, as I jumped from my car to head down to the creek.

(I'm not sure, but my guess is the Channel 8 crew was aiming for a drier vantage point.)

But, I did want to see for it for myself – so off into the brush, and the rain, I ventured.

Obviously Hollingsworth's photos are much better than mine. I'll blame it on the weather and my flip-flops, which didn't make for great traction.

What I saw, however, was exactly what he witnessed just days ago.

The creek is a mess in the spot just across from the stables. Recent rains have obviously brought a lot of trash to rest in this bend.

So now the question becomes, "what do we do about it?"

According to the Observer, the Parks and Recreation Department at the city has already been alerted to the discovery.

What bothers Heather Rinaldi, a regular contributor to LH Today and resident whose White Rock Valley neighborhood backs up to the creek, is actually what we're not seeing.

"Unfortunately this upstream trash is now our problem, because this is our backyard."

"This is a very visual reminder of our larger pollution issues, however. You can see this debris, but what about the things you can't?"

My thoughts then turned to the people who I regularly see fishing from a little bridge just down from the intersection at Goforth and Lanshire.

They're undoubtedly eating their catch, right? And based on what I saw this morning, that just can't be healthy.

Heather agreed, and then added, "It's not just what you see in the creek. It's so important to remember that."

Neighbors are already voicing their desire to head down this weekend and begin a grassroots clean-up effort, but I'm not sure how safe that is at this point.

Stay tuned – I'll keep you posted with updates as we learn more.