Boil-water Advisory Issued in Houston After a System Outage

Houston residents received a boil-water advisory due to concerns of contamination following a power outage that reduced pressure in the city's pump-driven water system.

According to NBC News, the boil notice affects a vast portion of the city's population of 2.3 million. A statement released by public works officials indicated that bottled water might be used in its place.

The Houston Independent School District has declared Monday a staff and student-only day, with the possibility that the closure will continue until the water problem is fixed.

"We will closely monitor the situation and provide additional updates tomorrow," the district said.

According to a statement from Mayor Sylvester Turner, the city submitted a plan to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality late on Sunday, requesting authorization to lift the boil-water advisory. He said the city could get out of the boil order on Monday night, 24 hours after the notice was posted.

Turner claimed that they do not believe the water to be unsafe but that they must issue a boil-water advisory whenever the pressure drops below 20 psi.

After being asked by the city for the analysis and results of the water test that might terminate the boil alert, Texas Governor Greg Abbott said he was moving promptly on the request.

According to him, they are currently trying to respond quickly to the city's request for assistance by analyzing water samples.

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Power Outage Causes the Water Pressure To Drop

According to Houston Public Works, a power failure on Sunday at the East Water Purification Plant led to a fall in pressure below the regulatory threshold of 20 psi, which started alarms for boiling water.

Though water pressure in the city was restored rapidly, contaminants that may have occurred during the pressure drop could still be making their way through the system. This would explain why a boil-water advisory was issued despite normal pressure.

A water system's pressure can be harnessed by the weight of the liquid to seal off cracks and gaps that would otherwise let in damaging pressures.

Hydraulic pressure is sometimes used in timepieces, particularly diving watches, to boost resistance to leaks in the same way underwater pressure strengthens and compresses seals and parts.

As of the beginning of 2021, Houston Public Works claimed that its system was less dependent on gravity than that of other major cities.

"Houston's water system is different from other systems in that we don't use water towers to pressurize the system," it tweeted. "We use underground storage and pumps."

No one knows what went wrong that Sunday morning. The East Water Purification Plant is located in Galena Park, Texas, a suburb of Houston, said Local News.

CenterPoint Energy, the utility serving the area, stated that the outage was likely caused by an issue at the facility and was unrelated to its operations.

Boil-water Advisory Was Also Issued to a Small Texas Town Before Thanksgiving

The little East Texas town's antiquated water system has forced its 700 people to spend the entire Thanksgiving holiday in a state of emergency as they prepare to drink water only after boiling it.

The working-class village 23 miles southeast of Lufkin has had water system problems for a while, but on November 14, the city issued a boil-water advisory due to a decline in water pressure.

Following days of complete shutdown caused by low pressure, businesses and schools were forced to close, per Texas Tribune.

City workers investigating the problem found a damaged vacuum pump and leaks in multiple water pipes, among other infrastructure problems.

Kim Retherford, a city councilwoman, remarked that it almost felt like a tsunami hit them.

"It's not given us any time to breathe."

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Bert Hoover

WATCH: Houston Water director explains citywide boil water notice - From KHOU 11