Lone Star water shows violation of follow-up routine

The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality has sent its annual report to the City of Lone Star. Their report stated no violations were found in drinking water sources.

The report generated by TCEQ stated that all levels were within acceptable ranges from the source water samples. Lone Star is a part of the Northeast Texas Municipal Water District, and Lake of the Pines is one of the main sources for Lone Star Water. Although the results showed that the source is susceptible to certain contaminants, none were at violation level.

Water in the city of Lone Star did, however, have a violation in the follow-up routine that should have been followed after violations in previous years.

As soon as the city was notified of the violation, a letter was sent to all residents on city water. The information that was sent out stated that, although these were not emergency situations, the city was letting the citizens know what they were, and what was being done to correct the issues.

According to city secretary Devon Whatley, the letter read, in part, “We are required to monitor your drinking water for specific contaminants. Results of regular monitoring are an indicator of whether or not our drinking water meets health standards. During January 1, 2013 to December 31, 2015, we did not monitor or test for Lead and Copper and therefore cannot be sure of the quality of your drinking water during that time.”

Due to the violation, the city was required to provide a list of mostly older houses in the city that could potentially have lead or copper piping. “We have formulated the list, and that list of residences has been approved by TCEQ,” said Whatley. Those residents will be notified that they will be receiving a testing kit. According to Whatley, the test will consist of a jug that the homeowners will be required to fill with water from their tap first thing in the morning. This allows the water to have sat in the pipes during the night, and would allow for any lead or copper to leach into the water during that time. TCEQ also requires the testing be done during the summer months, as that is the time that the lead and copper in water will rise due to the heat.

According to Whatley, once the residents fills the container, they will need to return it to city hall, where they will be collected and then sent to the lab for testing. This procedure will test the water in the individual houses, according to Whatley, thus the reasoning behind TCEQ using the older homes.

“As soon as we were notified, we took steps to notify the residents by sending out the letter, and we are making the proper arrangements to ensure that we do everything right, according to TCEQ,” said Whatley