Water Works? Part 1 of 2 (or more)

ED NOTE: THIS "JUST IN TIME FOR CHRISTMAS" STORY WAS NOT PUBLISHED BECAUSE SERVICE WAS RESTORED AND TESTING SHOWED THE WATER SAFE AFTER THE DECEMBER 18 WATER MAIN OUTAGE. GUESS WHAT FOLKS? THE LEAKS ARE NOT FIXED YET!

Wilmer Water customers experienced a complete outage of water service for over 4 hours on Wednesday, December 18, 2013. As of this posting, no boil notices have been served on the affected customers. The City says they'll tell us to boil water only after contamination of our drinking water has been confirmed by test results. The law requires special "precautions", Wilmer only does "post-cautions" - after-the-fact notification you have already been contaminated. ED NOTE: UPDATE Test results came back negative, no public health hazard. Chances are we'll get a clean bill of health based on the lab tests, and this issue will all blow over as just a reactionary incident to a non-existent issue. However, our top-notch water department exercises a lot of discretionary control over the testing sites regardless of what regulations might dictate - especially if no one is watching. Reports of the lines being flushed from the end of the line at Pinto/Pleasant Run at least confirm that some disinfectant procedures were followed. But that's not really the point is it - the law requires boil notices to be given to PREVENT potential health issues from impacting the community until test results provide confirmation/negation of contamination. But WHY is it important? Because when the water returns, backflow can suck out all the water in your sink, toilet, bathtub, dog bowl (if you left the hose in it), etc. Yes, absolutely publishing and hand distributing boil notices - and then the discontinue notices - is time consuming, expends staff hours and interrupts "work flow", it is considered expensive, and it is definitely more work for the city employees and staff. My boss at the FedGov never allowed any "staff savings" to be used in justifying expenditures because staff was paid the same regardless of how much work got done (or not) - staff time was basically considered worthless. [ED NOTE: Never mind that this holiday time of year "work flow" consists of standing around yammering on about Christmas plans, using the city's computers to do your personal shopping, and convincing the city council they don't really need to meet early in January just because many other cities do it so the staff doesn't have to put out too much effort during the holiday weeks. It seems that according to wannabe "city manager" Denny Wheat there's no compelling city council business to conduct with the representative from Southport Logistics absent from the area during the holidays. UPDATE: Wheat claims ignorance on the current leak problems.] Public officials who decide what's in the public interest that is contrary to regulation need an attitude adjustment and a relocation to a different jurisdiction. For copies of the complaint presented to TCEQ and the demand for accountability presented to the Wilmer's Governing Body: Click Here