AUSTIN, Texas — On Friday, Austin Water Director Greg Meszaros announced he was resigning from his role. But he also released a public memo with several answers to common questions regarding the most recent boil water notice.
“I share everyone's frustration and am deeply disappointed that this event occurred. Knowing how it has affected this community and our organization weighs heavily on me,” said Meszaros.
The memo, which is available here, includes details about the operational events that led up to the notice, which was first issued on Feb. 5, communication efforts to inform the public, as well as corrective actions that are already underway.
Austin Water explained that the internal operational issue that sparked the notice "increased the addition of processed solids, mostly comprised of lime, during the treatment process. This is what resulted in turbidity that exceeded regulatory requirements."
On Feb. 6, Austin Water said crews at the Ullrich Water Treatment Plant were working to bring a basin online, which is when the issue sparked.
"As part of the typical treatment process, a mixture of water and calcium carbonate is added to the basin to 'seed' the basin," the memo states. "This higher turbidity mixture is needed to get the lime softening process started. The 'seeding' – adding the high turbidity mixture – should have stopped after a couple of hours. Instead, it continued for most of the night. This resulted in high turbidity water that contained higher than normal levels of calcium oxide moving into the water filters – the next step in the process."
Austin Water said that, at first, the filters were able to remove the particles and produce water that met regulatory standards. However, finished water that enters the distribution system eventually began exceeding standards on Saturday around 8 a.m. Austin Water then began ramping up production at the other two treatment plants to keep water flowing to customers. Austin Water eventually decided to alert the public about the notice at 7:30 p.m.
Officials added that no evidence of contaminants was found in Austin's water supply during this event.
"The boil water notice was required because turbidity levels at Ullrich Water Treatment Plant exceeded regulatory requirements," the memo states.
"Although our water disinfection parameters were strong and remained within regulatory levels, we issued a boil water notice in alignment with state and federal regulations, because the risk of contaminants is raised when there are suspended particles, or high levels of turbidity, in the water."
While Austin Water has not reported any instances of someone falling ill during the notice, turbidity can indicate the presence of bacteria 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," the memo states. "If someone does experience severe symptoms, they should consult with their doctor to determine what actions should be taken."
Austin Water has also placed three employees on administrative leave as an investigation continues into how the incident occurred and who was responsible.
"Administrative leave does not change the employee’s employment status but removes the employee from the workplace while the investigation is underway," the memo states. "The employees will not perform plant operation duties until the investigation has been completed and management has assessed any applicable discipline in accordance with the Municipal Civil Services Rules."
Austin Water added that there are currently no plans to adjust bills to account for the boil water vent, stating that "flushing impacts would have been minimal."
Austin City Council will hold a special meeting Tuesday to talk about what led up to the recent boil water notice. City council members plan to call for an independent audit in addition to the utility's internal investigation.
Council member Kathie Tovo said there still very few details about what exactly happened to spark this most recent boil notice but she also wants to look at the notices that were issued in 2018 and 2021. The council is aiming for a comprehensive review, but getting every answer could take time.
"Audits can take, gosh, six months to a year. I hope that we will be able to to really talk as a council next week about a scope that is manageable enough so that we can get those answers as soon as possible. You know, if there are process changes or other kinds of things that the city manager needs to implement, he really needs that information as soon as possible," Tovo said.
Tovo and other council members KVUE reached out to wanted to thank Mezaros for his service as he steps down.
Council member Vanessa Fuentes who's also head of the Austin Water Oversight Committee shared a statement on Twitter:
Mayor Pro Tem Alison Alter shared the written statement below.
"Director Meszaros has resigned from Austin Water, but our work to restore public trust remains. I am still moving forward with my call for an independent external audit of our water utility to answer the many questions that I and my constituents have. We must ensure that the pattern of water quality issues does not continue," Alter said.
Council member Leslie Pool shared the following statement on social media.
"It is with heartfelt appreciation that I thank Austin Water Director Greg Meszaros for all he has done for Austin Water and our city. Austin Water has largely flourished under Meszaros’ 15 years of leadership, which has been during a time of explosive growth.This is also a turning point. The public is frustrated and shaken after the recent boil water notice, and we must determine what needs to be fixed at Austin Water so that we deliver services the public deserves.To that end, I have joined with some of my colleagues in calling for a thorough external audit of Austin Water, and the City Manager has also indicated support for an external after-action review of the boil water event.I remain focused on ensuring that Austin Water provides the most reliable service possible for customers, and on restoring the public’s confidence."
They also added there's a lot of work to be done to restore the community's trust.
Additional information will be provided at the following upcoming meetings:
- Tuesday, Feb. 15, at 9 a.m.: Special called meeting of the Austin City Council
- Wednesday, Feb. 16, at 6 p.m.: Regular meeting of the Water and Wastewater Commission
- Wednesday, Feb. 23, at 1:30 p.m.: Austin Water Oversight Committee meeting
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