A boil water notice was issued on Friday for parts of Montgomery County when a pipe burst near the water treatment plant. Two days later the boil water notice was lifted.
In January, the city of Midland issued a three-day boil water notice for its more than 131,000 residents when a water main break and during the repair there was a mishap that resulted in the shutdown of a water treatment plant.
Midland’s boil water notice took place more than a month after officials in Houston issued a similar order for more than 2 million people. The boil order in November was issued after two transformers failed at a water plant in the nation’s fourth-largest city.
Boil water notices are becoming more and more common all over Texas.
Last year there were at least 2,457 boil water notices issued across the state which is an average of seven per day.
A boil water notice is required by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) if there is a reduction in water pressure in the public water system. Boil water notices are issued to alert the public that the safety of the drinking water may have been compromised.
An investigative series by the Texas Tribune called “Broken Pipes” found that many water systems are struggling to provide a steady supply of drinkable water.
Guest:
Jayme Lozano Carver, Texas Tribune reporter covering the South Plains and Panhandle.
"The Source" is a live call-in program airing Mondays through Thursdays from 12-1 p.m. Leave a message before the program at (210) 615-8982. During the live show, call 833-877-8255, email thesource@tpr.org or tweet@TPRSource.
*This interview will be recorded on Monday, May 8.
