A boil water notice was issued for the city of Houston’s main water system on Sunday, November 27, according to a news release from Houston Public Works.
The boil water notice is in effect for the entire city as well as for West University residents who live on Law Street.
The citywide notice is in response to the water pressure dropping below the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality’s (TCEQ) required minimum of 20 PSI.
The pressure failure was reportedly caused by a power outage at the East Water Purification Plant on Sunday, November 27, at 10:30 a.m.
A tweet by the city announced that the TCEQ has approved Houston Public Work’s plan to take and test water samples Monday morning.
In the notice, residents are advised to boil their water before drinking it or using it to bathe or brush their teeth. Water should be brought to a boil for at least two minutes before letting it cool for use. Residents without power or otherwise unable to boil water are advised to use and consume bottled water instead.
Gov. Greg Abbott said that he has directed state agencies “to deploy necessary resources to support the city of Houston as they work to get a safe supply of water back online.”
Gov. Abbott said that the Texas Division of Emergency Management and TCEQ are taking the lead on that charge.
“We have been in contact with Mayor Turner to offer the full support of the state,” Abbott said, “and we’re currently working to fulfill the city’s request for help with rapid turnaround of water sample results.”
In a tweet, Mayor Turner also announced the Houston Public Works plan to test the water, explaining, “Workers will begin collecting samples this morning and will do two complete sets to send to the lab for processing.”
Houston Independent School District posted an announcement to its Twitter account explaining that it will be shutting down its schools Monday due to the boil water notice.
In the notice, HISD said it will “closely monitor the situation and provide additional updates regarding operations Monday.”
Those in the Houston area with questions concerning the boil water notice are urged to call 311 or email [email protected].
