McALLEN, Texas (Border Report) — The South Texas border city of Laredo has lifted its boil-water order after dangerous E. coli was found in the city’s water system, which has been blamed on illegal or faulty water connections.
Laredo Mayor Victor Treviño on Monday night announced that the city’s water is safe to drink for all 260,000 residents –12 days after the boil water order was implemented on Oct. 10.
The City Council during a special meeting on Monday approved a $200,000 contract for six months with Strategic Government Resources for public utility consulting services to help oversee management of the city’s water infrastructure and maintenance, city officials announced.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott on Oct. 16 issued an emergency declaration and water supply disaster after the detection of E. coli and other harmful bacterial were found in the city’s public water system.
Treviño and city leaders urged residents to seek reliable information on the situation and praised Abbott for lending state support.
“These emergency measures are necessary made to protect the public health and move towards restoring the public trust. We need to put personal ties and politics aside to put people first. It all starts with the truth,” Treviño said.
Since Oct. 10, the city, state and Webb County distributed over 124,000 cases of water to residents in Laredo, city officials said. This included block walking neighbors most affected by the boil water notice “and targeted deliveries to the most vulnerable populations, including the elderly and disabled. These initiatives ensured that every resident had access to safe drinking water during the crisis,” city officials said in a Monday news release.
(City of Laredo Graphic)
The City of McAllen, which is 120 miles southeast, last week sent a team from its Public Utility and Public Works Department and an emergency manager to help Laredo during the crisis.
The E. coli contamination was blamed on faulty water hookups to the city’s water system.
On Sunday, Treviño said an investigation found over 200 violations of bad or illegal connections.
“We have found more than 200 violations so far, which in my opinion is indicative of a broken system and past leadership within the Utilities Department,” Treviño said.
City officials said “severe penalties will be enforced for illegal connections or tampering with the system.”
Arturo Garcia, assistant director of the Utilities Department, on Oct. 16 resigned and an interim director took over on Monday. Treviño has promised a “ground-up restructuring of the Utilities Department.”
Before the boil water order was lifted, the city underwent aggressive flushing of its water system, which city officials said dislodged biofilm that had formed inside the city’s waterlines over time and also contributed to high bacteria levels.
U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar, a Democrat whose hometown is Laredo, says he has been in talks with the White House, FEMA, USDA and Small Business Administration to help Laredo get relief.
The state’s disaster declaration enabled the city and local authorities to mobilize resources and to implement emergency protocols.
Laredo has struggled with water issues for years. Since 2019 there have been several water main breaks and contamination issues that have forced residents to boil water for days at a time.
A faulty Mexican sewage plant on the Rio Grande in Nuevo Laredo also has caused contamination issues over the years.
Sandra Sanchez can be reached at SSanchez@BorderReport.com.
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