The City of Gunter, north of Dallas, informed residents that there would soon be no water left for them to use.
On Wednesday, Gunter released an emergency notification informing residents that “the city will be without water by early morning.”
Gunter officials explained that “due to excessive water consumption, the city’s water storage tanks are unable to refill.” Residents were instructed to “cease all outdoor watering until further notice” and to minimize or eliminate the use of dishwashers and washing machines, as well as the “use of showers and sink water, and any other nonessential water usage.”
Citizens responding to the city’s Facebook notification expressed outrage, alleging that city leadership has been mismanaging the water supply for several months.
One resident lamented, “It’s not fair for us to be penalized over poor planning and things citizens cannot control. … This issue came up a month ago, and seeing there is not a fix is disheartening.
Another commented, “I went to a city council meeting almost a year ago, and they were discussing this then. They’ve had plenty of time to fix it.”
Several days ago, Gunter city officials announced that two of the three water wells were non-operational and instructed citizens to limit water usage. Officials warned that violators would be ticketed.
At 12:55 p.m. on Wednesday, the City of Gunter announced to residents, “As of 11:30 a.m. this morning, the downtown water-well continues to maintain water levels.” Further explanation was offered: “As communicated yesterday, water-wells are mechanical in nature and subject to failure … due to extreme heat, drought conditions and water demand, these wells were running continuously, which is why they continue to fail.”
The post instructed people to conserve water and implored citizens to comply with the directive.
“For those residents who continue to violate this directive with excessive consumption, we are appealing to you and asking that you stop,” it read. “EVERY DROP COUNTS!”
Gunter City Planner Rick Chaffin told The Dallas Express in an exclusive interview that the City is actively working with water well experts to repair the wells while progressively attempting to isolate the issues by testing wiring and replacing motors.
“Our goal is to serve our citizens as best we can,” Chaffin explained. “I sympathize with people’s frustration and anger, and we are working as hard as we can to fix the wells immediately.”
