Crockett Boil Notice Affecting Residents, Businesses  

By Greg Ritchie

Messenger Reporter

CROCKETT –  As of press time, the city of Crockett remains under a boil notice which began Tuesday, May 23. The city purchases the water from the Houston County Water Control and Improvement District (HCWCID) #1, which received notice from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality that the water had not passed minimum treatment technique requirements for turbidity. 

Turbidity is defined as the cloudiness or haziness of a fluid caused by large numbers of individual particles that are generally invisible to the naked eye.

In a statement released by the City of Crockett, they told residents, “Turbidity by itself has no health effects. However, turbidity can interfere with disinfection and provide a medium for microbial growth. Turbidity may also indicate the presence of disease-causing organisms. These organisms include bacteria, viruses, and parasites that can cause symptoms such as nausea, cramps, diarrhea, and associated headaches. These symptoms can be particularly severe in people who are not as resistant to infections as most of the population. If you experience severe symptoms, please consult with your doctor to determine what actions you should take.”

City Administrator John Angerstein described the process involved causing this turbidity to occur. 

“Essentially twice a year, or once in the spring once in the fall, the temperatures of the surface water and the temperatures of the water at the bottom of Houston County Lake match each other,” Angerstein explained. “In the in the winter, the water is warmer down deep, but as the surface waters warm and they match the temperature and density, they rotate. so It’s called a lake turnover. This brings sediment and organics off the bottom of the lake and mixes them in the water – the organics that are typically settled at the bottom of the lake.”

“It mixes with the water and this year they had a really hard time getting it properly filtered out. The boil water notice was called due to this turbidity or when the water is too cloudy. It has matter or particles suspended in the water they were unable to remove,” Angerstein continued. 

With the holiday weekend, testing was delayed and Tuesday, May 30, the city released a statement telling residents they had purchased bottled water and invited anyone able to prove residence in Crockett to come to the Crockett fire stations between 7 a.m.-5:30 p.m. to receive a free case of water containing 40 bottles. 

The water filters must reduce this turbidity to a minimum level, be tested and cleared by HCWCID then tested by the city before the water can be consumed without boiling. 

Many local businesses and fast food chains were not offering soft drinks due to the boil notices with bottled water running low over the holiday weekend in some area grocery stores. 

The city made specific recommendations about how to handle water during this notice including, “To ensure destruction of all harmful bacteria and other microbes, any water that you use for drinking, cooking or ice making should be boiled prior to consumption. The water should be brought to a vigorous rolling boil and then boiled for two minutes. (Be sure to let it cool before drinking or using it.) In lieu of boiling, you may purchase bottled water or obtain water from some other suitable source.”

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Greg Ritchie can be reached at [email protected] 

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