Drink up: Port Aransas water is safe
BY MARY HENKEL JUDSON SOUTH JETTY EDITOR

STAFF PHOTO BY MURRAY JUDSON Balancing act Scott Mack, maintenance supervisor for Nueces County Water Control and Improvement District No. 4, checks the levels of chlorine in the water supply for Port Aransas. The water district, which supplies Port Aransas with potable water, buys the water from the City of Corpus Christi, where chlorine levels have been below state standards thanks to heavy rains that have resulted in low water usage and advisories to boil water before drinking or cooking with it. The advisory does not apply to Port Aransas or Mustang Island down to the Corpus Christi Fire Station.

Advisories out of Corpus Christi to boil water used for drinking and cooking do not apply to Port Aransas, although Mustang Island was erroneously included in the advisories until late Monday, July 23.

On Sunday afternoon, July 22, Mary Moss, manager of Nueces County Water Control and Improvement District No. 4, said, "Our water is definitely safe to drink."

Although the water district, which supplies water to Port Aransas and Mustang Island to just north of the Corpus Christi Fire Station on State Hwy. 361, buys its water from the City of Corpus Christi, Moss said, "We have our own chlorine facilities at each pump station. We have no problems at all."

A notice was posted on public access channel 20, and the South Jetty posted a breaking news story on its Web site Sunday afternoon. The police department also was notified, Moss said.

No messages were left on the district 's emergency line, and the police department did not transfer any calls to the water district, Moss added.

Restaurants in Port Aransas contacted about the situation said they were unaware of the advisory and had not been boiling water for cooking or drinking.

One restaurateur who had heard about the advisory, B.H. Cook, coowner with his wife Debbie of the Rusty Jeep Barbecue restaurant, said he assumed Port Aransas had its own water supply. He also said he was called by the water district on Monday and advised that boiling water was not necessary.

On Monday, water district employees "called every restaurant we know of" in Port Aransas, and reached all but one to let them know the water does not need to be boiled, Moss said.

She also notified the City of Corpus Christi that a distinction should be made about what areas of Mustang Island were and were not affected by the advisory. On Tuesday, advisories sent from Corpus Christi did that.

Low levels of chlorine in the Corpus Christi water supply caused officials there to issue the advisory. Heavy rains throughout July have reduced water consumption, slowing the movement of water through the system and depleting chlorine supplies quickly because of that lack of movement.

Moss explained that chlorine dissipates quickly, and the longer it sits, the more chlorine residual is lost.

Asked about a stronger taste and smell of chlorine in the water detected on Tuesday, July 24, Moss said, "We probably have upped our chlorine. We're watching it on a daily basis - sometimes several times a day."

Chlorine and ammonia are used in combination to effectively combat contaminates and balance the taste and smell of chlorine. Since little to no chlorine is coming from the Corpus Christi water supply, the water district is adding chlorine and monitoring its levels with the ammonia levels.

"It's a fight every day to figure out the (correct) ratio" that will meet state standards, Moss said.