ROBSTOWN, Tx — Robstown residents face another setback as their water district received a new violation from state regulators.
On March 13, TCEQ issued a notice of violation to the Nueces County Water Control and Improvement District 3 for exceeding the maximum contaminant level for total trihalomethanes, or THM. THM is a byproduct of chlorine reacting with organic matter in water during treatment. The state limit is 0.080 milligrams per liter, and TCEQ found the district's total THM at 0.082.
Neighborhood News Reporter Stephanie Molina sat down with District Manager Marcos Alaniz, who said higher total dissolved solids, or TDS, in the Nueces River have led to increased chlorine use.
"This all comes as a result of the quality of water being taken out of the Nueces River," Alaniz said. "Has nothing to do with us, not managing it."
The district sent letters to customers on April 7, causing even more concern for residents about their water supply.
KRIS 6 News spoke to neighbors who were near the Water Mill Express about their thoughts on the letter.
"It's kind of an adapt kind of pretty much situation… switching to bottled water, you know," Robstown resident Romero Martinez Jr. said. "It's just the fact that of drinking water from, you know, straight is kind of more of an issue."
Some residents, including Noel Silva, said they made a switch to bottled water a long time ago.
"We don't use the water," Silva said. "We usually buy it. We buy the bottled water, or we come over here and get the water because we don't trust the water district right now. So that's our main concern for our health and, for our pets too."
The district reiterates that the water is still safe to use and drink. They explained they have been working on solutions for their customers.
"I think the biggest fix that we're gonna have is this interconnection, that contract, that we signed with the City of Corpus, where we have a secondary water source to provide the city of Robstown and the surrounding communities that we feed," Alaniz said.
Officials approved the amended contract Tuesday evening at the Corpus Christi City Hall meeting.
The NCWCID 3 plant is designed to treat surface water, not high-mineral content water. With the Nueces River showing higher TDS levels, the interconnect with the O.N. Stevens Water Treatment Plant provides the district with an additional water source.
Alaniz added that with this interconnection, residents will see a significant difference in their water.
"You're gonna go back to what we used to do, tastes and odor, it's not gonna be there," Alaniz said. "The TDS is gonna drop below 1,000."
The district said they are fast-tracking the interconnection and are expecting to have water from Corpus Christi circling into their system in 10 days.
