What’s Going On With Crockett Water?
By Greg Ritchie
Messenger Reporter
CROCKETT – For Crockett residents, the water lately has seemed…strange. From a slight yellow color to a strong chlorine smell, it has been hard to miss, leading many to worry and ask what exactly is going on with our water in Crockett?
From local coffee shops to online posts, residents have commented on the strong chlorine smell and the discoloration, leading many to speculate on the safety of the water for people, pets and plants.
The Messenger reached out to several people to get to the bottom of the current water situation and wanted to report our findings, whatever they turned out to be.
The city gets its water from Water District #1, which takes and processes water from Houston County Lake. Water District #1 General Manager Russell Bond told The Messenger the process usually involves treating the water with a chlorine and ammonia mix, which can sometimes lead to nitrification, leading to an excess of ammonia. When this happens, they switch to a chlorine-only mix, causing the strong smell.
While the chlorine smell may not be very pleasant, Bond said the water is safe to drink, although the water may have a different taste. The process takes about a month, so you can expect the smell to linger for another 2-3 weeks.
Kristy Pendergraft, who works for the City of Crockett and assists with the water department, explained this process must be done, which although may be a problem in the short term, but have good long terms benefits. She said the process helps ensure that we are not required to issue an extended boil water notice.
“The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) is aware of our operations and is advising us through this process,” according to a statement from the city. “Daily water samples are taken, tested and reported to TCEQ to confirm the safety of our water.”
The city says there can be some discoloration, due to higher concentrations of chlorine, which can release rust deposits from our cast iron pipes and the pipes within your property and home. If you notice this issue, you can contact the city, who will provide additional line flushing to clear the discoloration.
Crockett City Administrator John Angerstein explained, “That also explains the discoloration, the higher chlorine content causes mineral deposits to flush out of the system, sometimes from the city mains or even private water lines, especially in homeowner lines that are galvanized pipe that have rust buildup. That is why some are seeing the discoloration, while a neighbor does not have that problem.”
Crockett is not the only place experiencing the issue, with many residents in the county who are supplied by the water district experiencing the same issues.
There was speculation online this process may harm water heaters, and they may need to be purged. Local plumber Reggie Gregory told us this could help, but is not absolutely necessary. He said water heaters will usually be fine, although flushing them for 10 minutes can always help.
From all sources contacted by The Messenger, in spite of the strong chlorine smell the next couple of weeks, the water is safe, for drinking, bathing and everything else. That extra amount of chlorine may take some of the rust from your pipes, leading to a change in color. If this persists, the city will make an extra effort to help flush your lines, which should help fix the issue.
The city has published a detailed explanation of the process and its effects on its webstie, www.crockettexas.org. If you have more questions and live in the city of Crockett, contact the city at (936) 544-5156.
Greg Ritchie can be reached at [email protected]
