AUSTIN, Texas — Travis County officials turned to Mexico at the height of last month's winter storm for water and received about a quarter-million bottles through a donation and purchase.
The international delivery came as taps in Austin and surrounding communities – and in other parts of Texas – ran dry after water plants lost power and the region suffered massive water main breaks.
The shipment from Mexico also involved an effort by U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett, who reached out to federal customs officials to make sure that seven trucks carrying the water was not delayed by customs officials at the border in Laredo.
Travis County spokesman Hector Nieto said County Judge Andy Brown received a call from a friend during the week of Feb. 14 who offered to donate five trucks of water through a connection with a beverage company in Monterrey, Mexico.
Brown sought to purchase two more trucks of water. Details of the costs were not available on Tuesday, and county officials did not identify the friend or the company in Mexico that supplied the water.
“The need for water was so extensive, and we were happy to accept it,” Nieto said. “Everyone was contacting their sources due to the lack of water supply, trying to figure out where we could get water from.”
Doggett said in an interview with KVUE on Tuesday he did not think that federal supplies in Texas were quickly enough reaching Travis County and the Austin area. He said Brown had to do what he called a "workaround" to make sure water was delivered to residents.
A spokesman for the Texas Department of Emergency Management said the agency was in touch with local leaders across the state, including Brown, updating them on supply distribution. He added that highways around the state were frozen and icy, making the delivery of goods particularly treacherous.
The shipment arrived from Mexico last week, and county officials said it has since been distributed to pick-up sites across the area.
By this week, most of Travis County had water service restored.
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