The city of San Angelo, Texas, is working closely with the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality after identifying industrial contaminants in the city's water.
Test results from the TCEQ have not yet come back, reported Concho Valley News. The firm Enprotec, Hibbs and Todd used TCEQ approved LCRA labs in the meantime to run their own tests for the city and due to this work, the three primary industrial contaminants have been identified.
“They were tested by a lab that is authorized by TCEQ, and that is the LCRA lab in Austin,” said Joshua Berryhill, Enprotec, Hibbs and Todd, reported Concho Valley News. “That is the, the primary lab that TCEQ uses for doing all of their testing throughout the state for different drinking water supplies. The three primary chemicals that we’ve identified at this time are benzene, acetone and naphthalene. The presence of naphthalene confirms early suspicions by residents based on the odor of the water. All three chemicals have industrial uses."
While the city continues its search for a source, San Angelo is distributing bottled water to those still under do-not-use water restrictions, reported Concho Valley News.
According to Allison Strube, the city's water utilities director, the city has been testing all of the lines around the PaulAnn neighborhood, where the initial concerns were raised, reported San Angelo Standard-Times. No illnesses tied to the water contamination had been reported, added Strube.
Bottled water distribution information can be found on the city webpage and the city will release information on the water contaminants and their search and remediation plan. The issue is believed to be linked to backflow problems, according to the city, reported San Angelo Standard-Times. The city is investigating industrial operations in the areas of contamination to determine the validity of this theory.
The city's landfill located near PaulAnn homes in northeast San Angelo is also being investigated.
Local grocery stores brought in truckloads of water, which ran out very quickly, putting pressure on the city to resolve the issue. The advisory cautioned that boiling water would not be effective since the issue with San Angelo's water is chemical.
