Water woes continue as disinfectant found in some Lake Jackson water spots
LAKE JACKSON, Texas (KTRK) -- A boil notice remains in Lake Jackson after a brain-eating amoeba was found in three samples in the city.
After the amoeba was reported, the water was tested at various locations. The city manager says low levels of disinfectant were found in the water at 14 of the 56 sites tested.
"Why were the levels low in those spots? Is it because we have to do extra flushing and stuff? So, we'll have to do a complete model of our system to see where our vulnerable points are," said Modesto Mundo, Lake Jackson city manager.
Mundo says they are flushing out the entire system.
"We're purging the system of all our old water, and then we're getting new water with free chlorine, which is different from the normal process, which will then kill any bacteria that there is," he said.
They are flushing the system through fire hydrants. The city manager is asking residents to help them out by stopping outdoor water use.
"So we can conserve our water and use almost all of it for purging the system," said Mundo.
The question is how did the amoeba get in the system in the first place?
"We don't know if the amoeba is anywhere in the system except for these three spots where we have tested so the system is interconnected, but I don't know. One side of town may be completely differentiated from the other," said Mundo.
While the boil notice is in effect, the National Guard is helping distribute cases of water to families. Households can get one case per day. By Monday, they'd already handed out three or four truckloads worth of water. On Tuesday, the distribution site is changing to Lake Jackson Rec. Center on Lake Road.
