The City was able to begin the process of opening the public water system in the south pressure plane at 7 a.m.
Overnight, water storage tanks reached optimal storage capacity that facilitated beginning the process this morning. Water line breaks will continue to be identified and isolated for repairs. Leaks or breaks found on City mains will be repaired by city and contract crews.
In addition, City staff yesterday evening delivered three pallets of water to local nonprofits including Meals on Wheels, Perpetual Help Home and the Salvation Army as well as warming centers at C3 Victory Life Church and Faith Family Church. Arrangements have been made to deliver water today to Our Lady of Sorrows, which also is functioning as a warming center, and Mid-Coast Family Services. Citizens Medical Center and DeTar Hospital received bottles of water yesterday.
The City continues to work to identify additional sources of water to help meet the needs of the community. Bottled water of any kind has become scarce as cities throughout the region experience system failures, resulting in increased demand. As of Thursday afternoon, more than 1,000 Texas public water systems and 177 of the state’s 254 counties had reported weather-related operational disruptions, affecting more than 14 million people, according to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality.
Mayor Rawley McCoy and City Manager Jesús A. Garza spoke yesterday to the public via Facebook Live to discuss the progress being made to resolve the water interruption in Victoria. They reminded the public to conserve water and keep their water faucets turned off so that water pressure can rebuild in the system.
As a reminder, residents can conserve water during this time by:
• Turning off water faucets
• Avoiding running water occurrences
• Taking shorter showers
• Reducing automatic washing machine cycles
• Avoiding using an automatic dishwasher
The City will continue to host daily press briefings and provide daily written updates through email, its social media channels, and its partnership with local media. Immediate updates also will continue to be shared throughout the day.
For more information, visit www.victoriatx.gov/waterboil, or call the City’s water hotline at 361-485-3381.