Gov. Abbott Mobilizes State Resources to Help Odessa with Water Crisis

AUSTIN – Governor Abbott directed state agencies, through the Texas Division of Emergency (TDEM), Wednesday to coordinate and deploy resources in response to a disaster declaration issued by Ector County Judge Debi Hays resulting from the City of Odessa main water line failure currently impacting approximately 165,000 Texans in the area. The loss of potable water supply in Odessa is being addressed locally with support from the State of Texas utilizing a variety of resources to alleviate citizens' immediate water needs and support the restoration of the local water supply.

"The State of Texas is taking swift action to respond to Odessa’s impacted water supply and support the local community in meeting their water needs," said Governor Abbott. "I urge residents in Odessa to follow guidance from local officials and take the proper precautions to ensure their health and safety as we work together to restore safe tap water in the community."

The City of Odessa Public Water System has issued a Boil Water Notice that will remain in effect until water pressure is restored and water is deemed safe to consume. Citizens are advised to boil water for cooking, drinking, or other consumption. To provide safe-drinking water to Texans in Odessa, TDEM has deployed truckloads of bottled water to be distributed by local officials at points of distribution (PODS) that they have established within the community.

For information about POD locations, visit https://www.odessa-tx.gov/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=1008.

The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) has staff on site providing support and technical assistance to the City of Odessa as local officials work to repair the damaged watermain. TCEQ will continue to assist the city by providing any requested support as they work to lift the boil water notice, while ensuring state and federal drinking water standards are met once the main water line is repaired and the drinking water system is back online. TCEQ’s regional office, emergency management support staff, and TCEQ’s Water Supply Division stand ready to provide any additional support requested by the City of Odessa.

Coordinated through the Texas A&M Engineering Extension Service, TDEM is making personnel available from the Texas A&M Public Works Response Team to provide technical assistance to the City of Odessa as they work to repair the water main break. TDEM is also working closely with Voluntary Organizations Active in Disasters (VOADs), as well as the private sector, to coordinate resources that are needed by the impacted population at this time. Lowe’s and Home Depot are two of the private sector partners actively working to ensure bottled water remains on their shelves for Odessa residents during this outage.

Texans in the affected areas are advised to stay informed and heed the guidance of local officials as efforts to restore water service continue.