WATER PRESSURE RETURNING TO MANY BRENHAM RESIDENTS; BOIL NOTICE REMAINS IN EFFECT

  

Update @ 1 p.m.: City staff delivered water samples to a lab for analysis at approximately 11 a.m. this (Monday) morning.  Results should be back from the lab within 24 hours.  If the samples are good, the city will immediately rescind its boil water notice.

Original Story @ 7:19 a.m.: The City of Brenham remains under a boil water notice, but the city continues to make strides in returning the water system to normal condition.

In an update this (Monday) morning, the city said over 500 leaks have been identified and repaired or isolated.  As a result, the city has been able to maintain a normal pressure range throughout the water system for the past 48 hours.

City of Brenham water system users were advised Sunday morning that they could begin using water to perform tasks that do not require potable water, such as washing dishes and laundry.

City crews have been flushing lines to make sure pressure is maintained and that there is an adequate disinfection residual in the system.  If residents see a fire hydrant flowing, they are told that this is part of the process and the hydrant will be turned off shortly.

Customers whose water pressure drops and does not return within a few minutes are asked to call 979-337-7400, and city staff will be sent out to investigate.

In order for the boil notice to be lifted, the water system must maintain system pressure of at least 35 PSI.  The city says this has been accomplished, and that pressure will continue to be monitored closely.

The system must also maintain a chlorine residual that meets or exceeds the standards of the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ).  As of Sunday evening, all tests for chlorine residuals have come back meeting or exceeding TCEQ standards.

The city will gather a representative set of samples this morning and submit them to a certified lab for analysis as soon as possible.  The city says the results should be back from the lab within 24 hours, and if the samples are good, the boil notice will immediately be lifted.  A notice will be sent out once it is no longer necessary to boil water.

The city has received some reports of water looking “white” or “milky.”  It says this is entrained air and is not a cause for concern, adding that as the system is flushed, the entrained air will work its way out of the system.

Customers are asked to continue reporting any leaks they may find, along with any issues with water pressure or water quality, by calling the city.