A Texas town may be called Crystal City, however there is nothing crystal clear about its water supply after reports of black water flowing out of the pipes in resident's home have surfaced. News that comes after its mayor, city manager, mayor pro temporare, a city council and a former council were arrested following allegations of corruption.
Welcome to #CrystalCity Texas where the water is Crystal clear - NOT pic.twitter.com/24AEkXsqzM
— NaphiSoc (@NaphiSoc) February 19, 2016
The city finds itself in a situation similar to Flint, Mich., where residents don't have any water they can drink. Reports of the black water, which had been compared to oil due to how dark it was, surfaced on Wednesday after residents say the tainted water unexpectedly started flowing out of their faucets, according to Fox San Antonio.
"It smelled as soon as I turned on the water we were getting ready for showers and I smelled it and then I started getting the text from my friends 'hey is this happening at your house look what's going on at mine," a woman identified only as Nora told Fox San Antonio.
"We didn't get a warning; we didn't get a warning that this was going to happen," she added.
The incident has been blamed on dirt and mud buildup that contaminated the city's water supply after city workers flushed out the city's elevated tower, according to the San Antonio Express-News.
The Texas Commission on Environment Quality (TCEQ) have since made efforts to clean the water supply, but there is still some debate on whether the water is safe for use. Carlos Ramirez, the city's water superintendent, said that the water was declared safe for use as of Saturday morning.
However, TCEQ media relations manager Andrea Morrow tells a different story.
"While the most recent samples testing for water pressure, chlorination, and bacteria have come back in the acceptable range, we would like to wait until we have the complete suite of sample results back until we can give the all-clear," she said, according to CNN.
As the residents wait to get an all-clear, they have been receiving water from other Texans - an act that Joel Baras, the only City Council member not facing charges, was grateful for.
"There are caring people in Southwest Texas," said Barajas, who is now the point person for all of the city's departments after the other officials were arrested.
The water sample results are expected back by Tuesday at the earliest. In the meantime, residents are urged to continue boiling water before using it.
