(Seguin) — Despite a letter you might have received recently, the drinking water in Seguin is safe.
City officials say you don’t need to be worried about a water quality letter that recently went out to city of Seguin water customers.
The letter states the city exceeded the maximum contaminant levels of total trihalomethanes found in their drinking water. Despite the spike, the problem has already been corrected and the city’s water supply is now in compliance.
Although those new numbers have not yet officially been reported by the Texas Commission on Environment Quality (TCEQ) via its quarterly reports, Utilities Director Tim Howe says local testing has confirmed that they are meeting the state mandated standards. Howe says the letters being received this week simply allow the city to remain transparent about the quality of its water.
“The message I would like to emphasis is that the water is safe to drink, and our customers do not need to use an alternative water supply. That’s the biggest message. However, I understand that as a customer when you receive a notice like this that perhaps, it might be confusing to some so it can cause concerns,” said Howe.
To alleviate all other concerns, Howe further explains the process that led the city to these results.
“In this particular case, the state collects the samples for what is called disinfection biproducts and in this case it’s total trihalomethanes. These pollutants are formed when the city adds chlorine to its drinking water for disinfection and we do that. It’s a requirement by state law to maintain a certain chlorine residual. But this particular source water is out of the Guadalupe River. It’s our surface water and it contains naturally occurring organic matter and when it reacts with chlorine, it can form what is known as a disinfect biproduct. The maximum containment level for total trihalomethanes is 0.080 milligrams per liter and it is based on a locational running annual average,” said Howe.
Howe says the water testing area that reported the “exceeded contaminants levels” only services a minimal amount of residential and commercial customers. He says although it was not across the city, officials felt it was important to notify all users. Those with questions on the quality of their drinking water in the city of Seguin are encouraged to contact Ricardo Jimenez at 830-386-2218.