CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas (AP) — There were three reports of dirty water before the 300,000 residents of Corpus Christi were told not to drink the city’s water due to a chemical leak at an asphalt plant, city officials said Saturday, adding that the city hasn’t found evidence of water contamination.
CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas (AP) — There were three reports of dirty water before the 300,000 residents of Corpus Christi were told not to drink the city’s water due to a chemical leak at an asphalt plant, city officials said Saturday, adding that the city hasn’t found evidence of water contamination.
Mayor Dan McQueen said he won’t know until Sunday whether a ban on drinking, cooking or bathing with tap water will be lifted for the 113,000 people still under the restriction.
McQueen, who took office Tuesday after defeating an incumbent who came under fire for her handling of previous water crises, said there’s no indication the chemical leak contaminated the Gulf Coast city’s water supply.
Officials are hoping the answer will come Sunday with the release of the first results of 30 samples taken by the Environmental Protection Agency and being tested in Houston.
McQueen said the city would seek to recoup its losses from the polluter.
The EPA said there were four “unconfirmed reports” of symptoms possibly related to prohibited water use. McQueen called the reports “rumors.”
Assistant City Manager Mark Van Vleck said earlier that the first dirty-water report came Dec. 1 from the administration building at the asphalt plant that oil refiner Valero leased to Ergon Asphalt and Emulsions. City workers flushed the pipe. A second report came from the building Dec. 7, he said, and the main was flushed again.