Austin's citywide boil-water notice was lifted late Feb. 8, public utility Austin Water announced, ending an approximately 75-hour ordeal for the city.
The notice first went into effect before 8 p.m. Feb. 5, after an operational issue at Austin Water's Ullrich Water Treatment Plan early that morning resulted in water quality concerns. Austin Water confirmed Feb. 8 that the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality verified the city's water is safe to drink after flushing their pipes and other appliances. The utility advised running all faucets for 1 minute before use, flushing ice makers by discarding three new batches of ice, and running water softeners through a regeneration cycle.
The situation has prompted city officials to call for an external investigation of the utility that has overseen three boil-water notices since fall 2018, most recently during Winter Storm Uri last year. Austin Water Manager Greg Meszaros said a similar incident had never happened at the utility and that the oversight was "not easy" to make.
“Austin Water will immediately begin a thorough review of the incident and will implement any necessary process improvements to avoid operator errors in the future," Meszaros said in a statement.
While Austin Water said this February's failure was unrelated to weather, it has not yet provided details on the staff operating errors that took place Feb. 5 and said more information will become available during future reviews.
The boil notice led to the rollout of multiple emergency water distribution sites around Austin and caused business disruptions and closures around town. City Council is now planning to gather for a review during a specially-called meeting Feb. 15, and several members are ready to formally authorize an independent audit into Austin Water during their regular voting meeting Feb. 17.
"The external audit will review the events of this week and the pattern of boil-water situations we’ve experienced in recent years. This review will allow us to identify necessary changes to Austin Water's protocols, investments and operations," Mayor Pro Tem Alison Alter said in a Feb. 7 statement. "Our community deserves better. Ultimately, this audit will examine what needs to be done to ensure something like this never happens again."
City Manager Spencer Cronk also promised the city would not go through a similar experience.
“This will be addressed, and you can be assured that this will not happen again," Cronk said Feb. 6.
On Austin's southern border, the Village of San Leanna also announced Feb. 8 its boil-water notice had been lifted. The village's notice had been in effect since Feb. 6.
