The North Harris County Regional Water Authority reported Feb. 19 that the city of Houston's Northeast Water Purification Plant was still unable to provide more than a "fractional amount" of surface water. A total of about 18% of the contracted amount, or 5.8 million gallons per day, was available to the city from that plant, according to a NHCRWA news release.

As a result, the boil water notice initially sent by the authority Feb. 17 is still in effect until the city of Houston rescinds its own boil water notice, according to the release. The city has estimated it may rescind its notice Feb. 21 or Feb. 22, according to the news release.

The NHCRWA stated in the release it would continue to provide as much water as possible to its wholesale customers while maintaining needed pressure within the system.

InfraMark, the operator for the authority, is coordinating with the operators of the various municipal utility districts that receive water to reduce the effects on local customers, and updates will be provided via the NHCRWA website and through email as the situation develops, according to the release.

The Northeast Water Purification Plant is currently undergoing an expansion set to be complete in 2025, Community Impact Newspaper has previously reported. It will increase the plant's water treatment capacity by 320 million gallons per day.