CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — The storage-tank collapse at the South Texas Water Authority's central distribution facility Thursday led to water customers between Alice and Robstown being ordered to boil their water before consuming it.
But, as of now, the water-boil alert is only a concern in Banquete, at stores like the food mart, because it’s the only city which still has running water left to boil.
The water-storage tank location sits at the corner of FM 2826 and CR 79, and Friday a demolition crew was on site to remove all of the debris.
Folks in Agua Dulce and others parts of western Nueces county are completely out of water.
”We don’t have water over there and we have animals that we need to get water to them," said Reynaldo Longoria, who lives in the Spring Garden neighborhood. "We haven't take showers and everything since yesterday. My daughter had to wash the faces with bottles of water.”
Nueces County Commissioner John Marez also acts as the STWA's general manager.
Friday, he said a number of agencies have helped get bottled water to people in Agua Dulce, and were passing it out at the junior high in Banquete.
A water distribution also was held Friday night at Sablatura Park in Banquete.
He also tells 3 News that he’s working to get the water flowing again by tapping into a water transmission line that runs from Calallen to Kingsville.
”Hopefully by this evening Friday evening or Saturday morning, at the latest assuming everything goes well, contractors (will) come in do a bypass connection and get that water right back into the system,” he said.
The collapsed storage tank held 63,000 gallons of water, which will take STWA some time to replace.
”Ironically, we were just approved yesterday morning by the Texas Water Development Board in Austin to receive $7.7 million in improvements for this pump station and several other in Nueces county, so that money will more than likely be put to replace this infrastructure that was knocked out,” Marez said.
Longoria is just hoping he can get some water to his home, as he and the rest of the customers in the western part of the county are now on Day 2 of having no water.