Mandatory Public Reporting of TCEQ Violation regarding Drinking Water Q4 2020

Mandatory Language for a Maximum Contaminant Level Violation MCL, LRAA / TTHM

 The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) has notified the CITY OF SAN AUGGUSTINE TX2030001 that the drinking water being supplied to customers had exceeded the maximum Contaminant Level (MCL) for total trihalomethanes. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA) his established the MCL for total trihalomethanes to be 0.080 milligrams per liter (mg/L) based on locational running annual average (LRAA), and has determined that it is a health concern at Ievels above the MCL. Analysis of drinking water in your community for total trihalomethanes indicates a compliance value in quarter four 202O of 0.085 mgs for DBP2-01 and 0.083 mgs for DBP2-02. These points are at the extreme ends of the water system at seldom used points at a church on SH 147 and the Little League Ball Park on SH21.

 Trilialomethanes are a group of volatile organic compounds that arc formed when chlorine, added to the water during the treatment process for disinfection, reacts with naturally-occurring organic matter in the water.

Some people who drink water containing trihalomethanes in excess of the MCL over many years may experience problems with their liver, kidney, or central nervous systems, and may have on increased risk of getting cancer.

You do not need to use on alternative water supply. However, if you have health concerns, you may want to talk to your doctor to get more information about how this may affect you.

We are taking the following actions to address this issue:

During the recent ice storm most of the water was lost from the system and all the tanks, so in a sense we are starting over producing water. In the meantime, we replaced all the filter media in both processing basins. When samples are pulled for the next average we will see where we are at, and hope the levels will return to below threshold levels. Of course, this means that the ice storm has disrupted our efforts, but we may see that it helps us in the end. We are changing our time to turn over the supply to lower the accumulation of TTHM by varying processing time so that water stays less time at any one stage of the process since time is key to eliminating TTHM. The high values that threw off our annual average actually are about to fall off the data set. All recent tests (individual tests) have been well below the threshold values.

If you have questions regarding this matter, you may contact Chris Anding at The City of San Augustine 936-275-2121. Also contact by email at info@cityofsanaugustinetx.gov

Posted /Delivered on:    02/26/2021