City Lifts Water-Boil Order as Repairs to San Angelo's Water System Begin

UPDATE 2:00 p.m. 9/13/2018  The boil water notice has been lifted.  According to San Angelo Public Information Officer Anthony Wilson, on September 11, 2018, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality required the City of San Angelo public water system, PWS TX2260001, to issue a Boil Water Notice to inform customers, individuals, or employees that due to conditions which occurred recently in the public water system, the water from this public water system was required to be boiled prior to use for drinking water or human consumption purposes.

The public water system has taken the necessary corrective actions to restore the quality of the water distributed by this public water system used for drinking water or human consumption purposes and has provided TCEQ with laboratory test results that indicate that the water no longer requires boiling prior to use as of September 13, 2018, 2:00pm.

If you have questions concerning this matter, you may contact the office of the Director of Water Utilities, Allison Strube, at 325-657-4209, 301 W. Beauregard.

SAN ANGELO, TX — The boil water notice for the entire city of San Angelo is in its third day and city officials are looking for ways to lift the water-boil order from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality.

Lost revenue to the City of San Angelo Water Utilities Department hasn’t been a concern of City leadership, Wilson said. The City is instead concentrating on the customer service aspects of the crisis. That is, getting the water distribution system, and its 600-plus miles of pipeline, capable of delivering drinkable water again.

Before the water line break, the City’s water system delivered 12.799 million gallons per day (MGD) on Sept. 10. The official water statistics have not been released for Wednesday, Sept. 13, the first full day of the water-boil order. Wilson anticipates the number to still be in the 12 MGD range.

The water-boil advisory did not restrict all other usages of water, like for watering lawns and etc. The water-boil order was only for water intended for drinking.

Wilson said the water department engineers and crews quickly isolated the location of the massive leak, and once the water supply was cut off to that portion of the water pipe system, water wastage ceased and pressure throughout the most of the water delivery system was restored.

“Because the leak happened in a pasture, we didn’t have exact reports of where the leak happened. It took a while longer to find it,” Wilson said. The leak happened in a field in the southern part of the city.

The boil-water notice remains in effect as the repair to the water main break suffered Tuesday in southwest San Angelo continues. Wilson said all of the needed parts have arrived, as has specialized equipment to jackhammer rock away from the pipe to complete the work. Difficult site conditions have complicated and slowed the repairs.

In the meantime, the Water Utilities Department is discussing with the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality the possibility of lifting the boil-water notice even before repairs are completed.

Pressure throughout the water system has been stabilized at a point above TCEQ requirements, and testing of water quality is underway. The City hopes to have a firmer idea of a timeline on potentially lifting the notice this afternoon.

Updated information will be posted as soon as it is available at the City’s website, cosatx.us, and on the City of San Angelo-Public Information Facebook and City of San Angelo Twitter pages.

“We appreciate citizens for voluntarily limiting their water consumption to essential usage, such as showering and flushing commodes, and for the patience, understanding and grace they have shown while weathering this inconvenience. We also laud the tireless efforts of our Water Utilities and Operations employees, who have been working non-stop since the break occurred. They will remain on the job until it is done,” Wilson said.