LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — As The Boring Company continues construction on the Vegas Loop, a mysterious green pond behind a tarped fence at their construction site at 3824 Paradise Road has sparked concern among locals and public officials.
Green pond mystery: Vegas residents want answers from Boring Company
The site, located in a busy residential and commercial area just blocks from the Sphere, contains what appears to be green liquid that multiple dump trucks have been covering with dirt.
"It being green, I feel like it's something unsanitary and unsafe because water is not green. It's something in there," said Alriana Thomas, a Las Vegas local who lives in the area with her daughter.
She said she was already curious about the site and wants to know more about what impacts it may have on her family.
"I was wondering what the smell was," Thomas said. "I have a six year old, so inhaling that, the smell I think kind of can make them sick."
"I feel like if it was y'all families walking past, y'all wouldn't want y'all families to inhale it. I feel like if y'all wasn't the workers working for the private company, then y'all would want to know as well. I just feel like we deserve answers," she continued.
On Tuesday, The Boring Company responded to online speculation in a post on X, explaining the temporary manmade pond poses zero health risks.
It is a temporary manmade pond used to alleviate/balance loads during construction of subsurface concrete structures, including the visible egress shaft (connects to the tunnel 25 feet beneath it).
— The Boring Company (@boringcompany) November 18, 2025
Certainly not being hidden - is in clear view and TBC has actively toured both…
Environmental Expert Weighs In
However, not everyone is convinced.
Environmental engineer and consultant Dietrick McGinnis told Channel 13 whatever contents are in the un-contained pond, the green color may indicate a chemical influence related to drilling materials.
"We don't want mystery fluids in urban environments," McGinnis said. "Drilling muds can contain heavy metals, some of them are oil based, in addition they're boring through pretty dense urban area."
He explained the soil drillers encounter in cities are often contaminated with dangerous materials - like petroleum hydrocarbons and chlorinated solvents - which may leak from underground storage tanks or dry cleaning operations.
In addition, McGinnis said drilling fluids are sometimes made with unregulated materials.
"One of the problems we've had nationally with drilling fluids, things that are used to enhance the ability of these things to move through the earth, is they are often labeled as proprietary. So, we don't know what is in them," he said.
"Let's just say, working in that with those kind of materials that we'd expect to be produced from this, unlined ponds should not be part of that equation," McGinnis said. "Even if that was a construction site with just groundwater, that brings huge management concerns for many reasons. The fact that it's a lovely green and not an algae, lovely green, raises concerns even more."
The concerns come as The Boring Company faces scrutiny over recent environmental violations at the same location.
"This is a company that just paid very large environmental fines. They're going to have to rebuild the trust and an ingredients list, it would be a good start," McGinnis said.
The company was fined nearly $500,000 for illegal dumping after documents from Clark County Water Reclamation showed the company discharged drilling fluids into manholes on Paradise Road.
Washington Takes Notice
U.S. Rep. Dina Titus, D-Nev., said the controversies associated with the project are raising her concerns for public health.
"It's one of those situations where the more you know, the worse it gets," Titus said. "It goes right through my district. Paradise is a main traversing street, so I'm greatly concerned about the safety of what's underground as well as what's above ground."
She told Channel 13 she plans to call on Gov. Joe Lombardo formally with a letter to request a public hearing be held in Clark County.
"So the public can testify or find out answers from the boring company about just what is going on. Just what's being used, how dangerous is it, those kind of questions, I don't think have been answered," Titus said.
Environmental damage isn't the only concern. The company was also fined by Nevada OSHA after workers alleged chemical burns.
Recently, $400,000 in Nevada OSHA fines were dropped sparking concern over the political influence of the company and its ownership by Elon Musk.
However, the Nevada Department of Business and Industry said in a statement Wednesday that the fees were dropped because the citations were unwarranted.
The Boring Company plans to drill 68 miles of tunnels under the valley with 104 stations as part of the Vegas Loop project.
"This is a huge project, and this is one step along the way, and if they're doing things that are dangerous here, no telling what the rest of the project will look like," Titus said.
Channel 13 reached out to the Nevada Department of Environmental Protection to ask if they are monitoring the contents of the pool, if the liquid had been tested. We also requested any related documents outlining a containment strategy or testing results.
As of Wednesday afternoon, we have not heard back from NDEP's Public Information Officer.
