Residents across western Travis County were told Tuesday to put their tap water on the stove before they drink it, after routine monitoring turned up elevated turbidity in filtered water at the West Travis County Public Utility Agency. The boil water notice covers several neighborhoods west of Austin and urges people to treat their tap as a potential health risk while additional testing is underway. Officials say cloudy water can make disinfection less effective and are warning residents not to drink unboiled tap water until the utility gives the all clear.
Who’s affected
The advisory stretches across multiple systems, including Travis County Municipal Utility Districts 18, 13, and 12, parts of MUD 11, Crystal Mountain Water District, Lazy Nine MUDs 1A and 1B in Sweetwater, and Headwaters MUD, according to KEYE. Many of these entities buy treated water from the West Travis County Public Utility Agency and depend on it for both treatment and distribution.
Why officials ordered the notice
An advisory posted by Reunion Ranch WCID explains that turbidity levels in filtered water went over state and federal limits, which can interfere with the processes that kill organisms capable of making people sick. The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality requires public notices any time treatment or pressure issues might threaten water safety, and TCEQ guidance notes that turbidity readings above 1.0 NTU can be a sign of treatment problems.
How to keep your household safe
To make tap water safe to drink, bring it to a vigorous rolling boil, keep it boiling for two minutes, then let it cool before using it for drinking, cooking, or making ice, or use bottled water instead, CBS Austin reports. The same rule applies to brushing teeth and preparing baby formula. Commercially bottled water is fine to use as an alternative while the notice is in effect.
When the advisory will be lifted
The West Travis County Public Utility Agency will alert customers once repairs are complete and testing shows the system is back within normal operating limits and bacteriological samples come back negative. TCEQ explains that before a boil water notice can be lifted, systems must flush distribution lines, verify disinfectant levels, and submit special sample results that confirm the water is safe. Until that happens, residents are being told to assume tap water is unsafe to drink unless it has been boiled or treated as directed.
