Water Damage Restoration in Laredo, TX

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McALLEN — Laredo is entering its sixth day of a citywide water boil notice after traces of E. coli were discovered in its public water system.

Now officials in this South Texas city are scrambling to repair old water pipes that could have been at the center of the crisis.

While the underlying cause remains unclear, Mayor Victor Treviño said Tuesday an investigation done in coordination with the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality narrowed the potential source of the contamination to an area in central Laredo. Outdated infrastructure is a likely factor, he said.

"Unfortunately, the same investigation shows that the overall problem is multiple years in the making and we are now playing catch up to a problem that has grown to what it is today," Treviño said during a press conference Tuesday.

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Laredo is the latest Texas city to grapple with outdated water infrastructure and it is one of the most populous cities to issue a boil-water notice since Houston did about two years ago. More than 256,000 people live in Laredo, a border town about 160 miles southwest of San Antonio.

Earlier this year, the West Texas city of Odessa had to shut its entire water system off to upgrade its water infrastructure. In 2023, state lawmakers and voters created a new pool of money to help the state repair some of its water pipes.

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As of Tuesday afternoon, the entire city remained on a water boil notice issued by the city on Thursday after follow-up water tests on Sunday identified two positive E. Coli results in central Laredo. Another sample detected high bacteria levels on the city's north side.

Treviño said he would be meeting with TCEQ again and planned to call an emergency meeting of the City Council in the coming days to take emergency action.

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The mayor wants the City Council to divert all available resources to deal with the water crisis, requesting that all non-essential projects be paused or eliminated so that funds could be diverted to replace outdated water pipes.

"About 40% of the pipes are over their shelf life so that is something to look into," Treviño said in an interview with the Texas Tribune.

He also plans to ask the council to issue discounts to residents on their water bills and for the appointment of an interim executive director to head the city's utilities department beginning Oct. 21. Laredo City Manager Joseph Neeb currently oversees the utilities department.

The interim executive director would also serve as a performance consultant, Neeb said, explaining the department has been shorthanded on engineers, relying on outside firms to help them.

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Faced with the water crisis, Neeb said the city hoped to find a long-term solution, noting the city had budgeted more than $100 million for water and sewer repairs this year.

"We will be talking about adjusting our plans from what we thought they should be to what they really need to be," Neeb said during the press conference.

Meanwhile, the city will continue to hold water distribution sites while the notice remains in effect. Treviño hopes that by identifying the affected areas, the city can begin to rescind the notice for unaffected areas of the city.

Under the notice, residents are warned that tap water is not safe for drinking, cooking, or brushing their teeth. However, it can be used for other consumption if boiled for one minute.

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No resident has tested positive for E. coli from drinking the city’s water, officials said. However, they are investigating all reports of illness.

Reporting in the Rio Grande Valley is supported in part by the Methodist Healthcare Ministries of South Texas, Inc.

Published: Oct. 15, 2024 at 6:51 AM PDT|

LAREDO, Tex. (KGNS) - After five days under a boil water notice, Laredoans continue to ask, “How much longer?”

Jose Sanchez, a resident of the Cedar area, expressed his concerns: “How do I feel? Well, scared. What will happen if we can’t use water?” As of Tuesday morning, only a few areas in central Laredo, such as Zacate Creek and the Mines Road area, continue to test positive for E. coli and bacteria. Despite this, the entire city remains under the boil water notice.

Laredo Mayor Dr. Victor Trevino is optimistic about the new developments. After a Tuesday press conference, he emphasized the safety of water in unaffected areas, stating, “This is not an area that’s impacted and as you can see, water is good to drink. I’ll be more than happy to drink it in other areas that are not impacted.”

With most of the city testing negative, the focus is now on the affected areas. The source of contamination remains unclear, but Arturo Garcia, Assistant Utilities Director, noted that while water from Laredo’s plants is clean, bacteria may have entered the distribution lines. He explained, “With all the construction activity... some pipes get hit. It may be a hairline fracture that overtime collects, and then the bacteria grows around that small leak and enters the system.”

Potential sources of contamination include illegal connections to fire hydrants and aging water infrastructure. Mayor Trevino plans to propose pausing non-essential spending to allocate funds for water infrastructure projects. City Manager Joe Neeb stated, “I believe that everything that is happening in Laredo, based upon the growth that we’re seeing... we’re always behind the 8-ball on all the projects that we want to get done.”

After meetings with TCEQ officials, there is hope to lift the boil water notice in certain areas of the city soon. The Laredo Public Health Department has reported no confirmed cases of E. coli, despite receiving calls from residents experiencing symptoms such as diarrhea and vomiting. Health officials indicated that a high number of norovirus cases in Laredo could be the likely source of these symptoms.

Below is the original story.

The City of Laredo held another press conference on Tuesday, October 15, to address the ongoing Boil Water Notice (BWN) and share the latest updates. City officials will provide information on recent water testing and outline the next steps in resolving the issue.

Key Findings:

Next Steps:

Water Distribution Locations for October 15, 2024:

Residents should bring an ID and utility bill to pick up water supplies.

Mayor Dr. Victor D. Trevino emphasized the urgent need for investment in water infrastructure, stating, “We can no longer live under these conditions. We must fix this because water is life.”

For more information, visit the City of Laredo’s website or call 3-1-1.

TCEQ by Abithsua

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Copyright 2024 KGNS. All rights reserved.

For the eighth time in a little more than five years, at least a portion of Laredo is under a boil water notice.

The most recent announcement came this week, putting many residents of the city in all too familiar territory over recent years.

With the news, LMT is looking back at the eight boil water notices that have occurred since late 2019 and the circumstances that surrounded each.

September 2019

The city issued a boil water notice on Sept. 28, 2019, the first of a trend of these water issues around the city over recent years. Originally it pertained to only a few sections of south Laredo, but it went city-wide a few hours later.

Laredo cited the notice occurred due to failure to maintain acceptable disinfection residuals of total chlorine within the distribution system. The city said the decision was made by the TCEQ

Laredo's Utilities Director Riazul Mia did convey they were upset with the TCEQ they couldn't just pay a fine, as there were only a limited number of samples discovered with low chlorine, instead of having to issue "a very scary notice." Meanwhile, the TCEQ said that it told Laredo to issue a boil water notice eight days before the city did so, and that issues had been present in the water since at least May of that same year.

After a total of 11 days, the city-wide boil water notice was rescinded by the TCEQ.

June 2020

The city issued a boil water notice for residents in the State Highway 359 Corridor in Webb County on June 30, 2020.

The boil water notice was deemed necessary due to low chlorine levels detected in water lines in this area and possible nitrification in the system. Nitrification occurs when disinfectants degrade in the water system, providing the opportunity for bacterial regrowth and the degradation of water quality.

While only 830 customers were reportedly impacted, poor infrastructure led to a major delay in the fixing of the issue.

In fact, it took more than two months for the boil water notice to be rescinded, as the TCEQ gave the all-clear on Sept. 1, 2020.

February 2021

A boil water notice was issued Feb. 17, 2021 for the Highway 359 area.

The incident stemmed from the winter storms shortly before. While the TCEQ did not mandate a boil water notice, City Council voted to implement one for the 359 area as a precautionary measure as bacterial growth arises when the water pressure drops so low.

The issue was particularly daunting in nearby Zapata, where 70% of households faced both a boil water notice and no power.

The notice was lifted five days later.

May 2021

A boil water notice was issued May 17, 2021 in south Laredo due to maintenance underway on a broken water main.

The issue was contained to the area, and the boil water notice was rescinded five days later.

July 2021

A boil water notice was issued for parts of the Chacon Neighborhood on July 3, 2021. That was the precursor to a disappointing Fourth of July holiday as the entire city was enveloped in a boil water notice the following day. Low chlorine levels were to blame originally.

“High temperatures, along with low rain fall, affect chlorine residuals by aging the water and making it become stagnant in lines that are part of the water system,” said the city at the time.

Former City Manager Robert Eads called the situation "unacceptable" and said water plants used a less-than-required amount of chlorine throughout the water system. Eads' office later had a scathing social media post blaming "now former employees" and stating they had "found the root cause and eradicated it."

The boil water notice was rescinded 10 days later. Laredo Utilities Director Arturo Garcia Jr. took the blame saying he "dropped the ball" after TCEQ training was turned down by plant operators saying it wasn't necessary.

Meanwhile, the two fired plant employees Eads' office blamed appealed their termination and later took it to court believing they were the "fall guys." One of them, Water Treatment Supervisor Tony Moreno, won twice in court against the city and was given a date to return to work by the judge, however, the city responded saying he had a "duty to find other employment."

The water discovery of low chlorine levels was actually made by a whisteblower -- Federico Martin Reyes, a local contract welder -- who had also reported the issues to a state water quality monitor both this and the previous time. He said he had received death threats for his efforts from those who had lost their jobs or been disciplined.

February 2022

The city of Laredo issued a boil water notice on Feb. 18, 2022 just prior to midnight. Initial impacted areas reached from North Central Park area down to Laredo College South campus area, and east well outside the main area of the city down 359, but eventually the notice encompassed most of the entire city.

"Due to low distribution pressure resulting from a line break and subsequent loss of water tank levels in certain affected areas, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality has required the City of Laredo public water system to notify all customers to boil their water prior to consumption as a precautionary measure," the city said at the time.

A declaration of disaster was later issued, and former Laredo Mayor Pete Saenz issued a warning of just how costly repairs to the entire system might be, stating it would be about "$120,000-150,000 per block to actually replace the water line" which would lead to a price tag of around $500 million.

Water service was restored to most of Laredo nine days later, and the boil water notice was completely rescinded on March 3.

Following the incident, leadership confirmed a leak in the Frost Street water main line was the cause, although additional problems including faulty valves and a gearbox were also part of the issue leading to 60% of Laredo being without water.

July 2023

Laredo issued a boil water notice that impacted parts of the Highway 359 area in July of 2023.

The city said that the decision was made due to low distribution pressure on IH-359 between Oil Patch Road and Pueblo Nuevo caused by a break to a major 12-inch line.

The boil water notice lasted for seven days before it was rescinded.

October 2024

In a first among these five-plus years of recent boil water notices, E. coli was detected in the water supply leading to a boil water notice on Oct. 10, 2024.

The TCEQ issued the notice. E. coli is a pathogen that a person can contract by ingesting contaminated food or water.

The origin of the contamination came from test samples that returned positive at 157 Kentucky Street. Another test sample from 159 Kentucky Street also came back positive, confirming the contamination, which had spread throughout the city.

The first positive sample was detected on Monday. To rule out a false positive, another sample was tested on Wednesday, with results received 24 hours later confirming the contamination. Additional tests in other areas of the city also came back positive, prompting the boil water notice.

City Manager Joseph Neeb said it may have been caused by a faulty hydrant meter, a waterline break during construction or a faulty backflow prevention device. Water Distribution Superintendent Antonio Mora said the incident has been isolated, and flushing has been ongoing in the affected area. However, frequent city-wide testing is required before the boil water notice can be lifted.

The boil water notice remains in effect as of Saturday and is likely to take between at least a few more days to a week if no other problems are found.

New York Mavericks' standout Ederson Santos secured his first PBR event win down south in 2024.

LAREDO, Texas – For the second consecutive season, the PBR’s (Professional Bull Riders) Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour will buck into Sames Auto Arena in Laredo, Texas, for Michelob ULTRA PBR Laredo on January 31 and February 1.

For two nights only, some of the best bull riders in the world will duel with some of the rankest bovine competitors bred to buck in a must-see showdown that is only coming to town once in 2025.

The 36-year-old topped Lefty(Dana White/DD Bucking Bulls) for 81 points in the opening round before surging into the championship round by riding Not Yet(Obernagel/Sho-Me Rodeo) for 86 points.

Santos then overtook the event lead when he delivered what proved to be the event-winning ride in the championship round, teaming with Cooter Brown(Cash Money Bucking Bulls) for an event-high 88 points.

Michelob ULTRA PBR Laredo is the eleventh event of the season. In 2024, the Velocity Tour hosted more than 356,000 fans, setting 16 event attendance records, while selling out 20 event days.

The bull riding action at Sames Auto Arena begins at 8 p.m. CST on Friday, January 31, and 7 p.m. CST on Saturday, February 1.

Forty (40) bull riders will get on one bull in Round 1. Round 2 on Saturday evening will feature the Top 36 riders from Round 1; the riders’ individual two-round scores will then be totaled, with the Top 10 advancing to the championship round for one more out and a chance at the event title.

Tickets for the two-day event are available on Ticketmaster on Thursday, October 10, at 10:00 a.m. CDT and start at $15, taxes and fees not included. Tickets can be purchased at Ticketmaster.com, at PBR.com or by calling PBR customer service at 1-800-732-1727. Tickets are also available at the Sames Auto Arena Box Office.

PBR VIP Elite Seats are available starting at $180 for avid fans who want an exclusive VIP experience while enjoying some of the world’s best bull riders. These tickets offer the best seats in the venue, a pre-show photo experience on the dirt, a commemorative VIP wristband and a personal on-site concierge at the PBRewards Booth on the concourse.

Photo courtesy of Andre Silva/Bull Stock Media