A new map was released by city hall Friday afternoon, Dec. 16, showing three zones with differently defined water usage.
The city has been divided into three zones: Zone 1, in blue, which can use water for consumption, bathing and cooking; Zone 2, in magenta, for bathing only, not consumption; and Zone 3, yellow, no consumption or bathing.
Water can now be used in Flour Bluff, Padre Island and Calallen (Zone 1), city officials announced at 11 p.m. Dec. 15. The Southside, in Zone 2, may use water for bathing, but not consumption. The rest of the city remains on an alert not to use city water for any reason.
Zones 1 and 2 were established after testing results by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. Results indicated that the Zone 1 area of the city was not affected by the contamination of two hazardous chemicals from the industrial area.
According to city officials, three to 24 gallons of Indulin AA-86 found its way into the water system at a location on Up River Road. According to several sources, that location was the Ergon Asphalt & Emulsions plant, which is located at 6746 Up River Road in an industrial area of the city. Later, a release from local legislators said the chemical hydrochloric acid might also have been involved. Inulin AA-86 is used as an asphalt emulsifier. So far, officials believe the incident occurred either because a back-flow protector malfunctioned or did not exist at the location where the leakage occurred.
The city was notified late Wednesday, Dec. 14, that water coming out of a faucet in a refinery complex had an oily sheen. At 10:25 p.m., the city issued a warning to residents to stop using their water. The announcement resulted in a run on bottled water. Stores quickly sold out.
On Thursday evening, Dec. 15, residents lined up by the hundreds at a variety of stations and stores handing out free water.
Kathleen Naderer, who lives on the Southside, was not caught off guard. After three boil water notices in the city in a span of 10 months, she has learned to keep water on hand.
“It’s supposed to be for hurricane season, but I’ve started keeping two to six gallons of water in my garage at all times for water alerts like this one,” she told Corpus Christi Business News. “I’m not looking forward to fighting the crowds if the city doesn’t lift the ban tomorrow.”
The ban for the central part of the city looks like it will last another day, according to reports from officials. The city will be releasing each section of the city as it is cleared by TCEQ testing results, announced the city council after a rare emergency executive session at 8 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 15.
Four of the nine-member council, including the mayor, are in their first week on the job. At-large council member Michael Hunter, a fifth of what is considered a new majority on the council, has only served since March. City voters have pinned their hopes for solutions from their newly elected officials.
“I expect the new council to be very harsh on the refinery responsible for this fiasco,” said Michelle Martinez, who lives in the Carroll Lane-McArdle area. “Nothing can be done about the issue except try to resolve it as soon as possible. Water is life and not being able to do everyday things is crippling.”
Another resident who lives on the Southside asked if the city was going to become another Flint, Michigan, a town that has been unable to drink its water for at least two years because of lead contamination.
“This issue should not be taken lightly because people are at risk,” A.C. Jade said. “Someone needs to be held accountable."
Dougie Gregorio took stock of the situation from his work truck as he drove around the city all day Thursday. Finding a place for lunch was tough since so many restaurants were closed. Most of the convenience stores were also sold out of water. Others had raised prices.
“I was really irritated when I came across one convenience store that had lots of bottled water cases in stock but were selling what was normally $3 a case for $7 a case,” he said. “I spent $36 as opposed to what normally would have been $15 for five cases."
At least 100,000 cases of free water began rolling into the city on 18-wheelers Thursday evening as distribution began at a variety of locations around town, from senior centers to the Salvation Army. Cases are handed out one per car in a drive-through fashion. More is on the way from state emergency organizations and private donors, said city spokesperson Kim Womack at a 4 p.m. media briefing.
She noted that local Fed Ex trucks had stopped all Christmas deliveries to help deliver water to distributions stations. Water had been donated by the hundreds of cases from people as far away as Tennessee.
“Our state, our country loves us; they feel our pain,” Womack said. “They are coming to our aid.”
SCHOOL CLOSINGS
Kingsville ISD will RESUME classes on Friday, while others will remained closed.
Closed until after the Christmas holidays are:
• Corpus Christi ISD• Flour bluff ISD• West Oso ISD• Incarnate Word Academy; high school will open at 8:30 a.m. and release students at noon. IWA Elementary will be closed• Vinson Morrison Children's Center at First United Methodist Church• Seashore Middle Academy• Seashore Early Childhood Academy• Seashore Learning Center• Dr. M.L. Garza-Gonzalez Charter School• First Baptist School on Ocean Drive• Second Baptist Child Development Center• St. James Episcopal School Half Day• All Diocese of Corpus Christi schools within the Corpus Christi city limits will be closed except for St. John Paul II High School• Nueces County Juvenile Justice Alternative Education Programs will be closed. No school for students or staff• Richard Milburn Academy will be closed
FROM CITY PRESS RELEASE
Detailed description of what usage in each of the city's three zones:
Three zones have been identified for the City of Corpus Christi:
- (ZONE 1) is defined as the zone where the current DO NOT USE advisory has been rescinded. This City zone has resumed using the tap water for drinking, cooking, bathing, and all regular uses.
- (ZONE 2) is defined as the zone where LIMITED USE of the tap water may resume. The limited activities include bathing, showering, flushing toilets, and washing clothes. However, due to the potential for contaminated water, infants and young children should not bathe using water since they may swallow some of it and additional water testing is needed. Immuno-compromised individuals (e.g., those individuals undergoing chemotherapy, those with HIV/AIDS) should likewise avoid consuming the water. Also, this zone should not use the tap water for drinking or cooking /food preparation; only bottled water should be used.
- (ZONE 3) is defined as the zone where the DO NOT USE advisory remains in full effect. This is the zone where the tap water should not be used and only bottled water should be used for all drinking, beverage and food preparation (including baby formula and juice), making ice, brushing teeth, washing dishes or clothes, washing hands, and bathing until further notice. You may flush toilets.
