After initiating a ‘chlorine burn‘ on Saturday morning, the City of Victoria is hoping that it will be able to lift the state-mandated boil water notice on Tuesday, July 15.

“This would be the best case scenario,” Jesús Garza, city manager, said. “Worst case scenario, the notice would be lifted Wednesday, July 16.”

At a press conference on Saturday, Mayor Duane Crocker assured residents that this failure will not be overlooked nor will it be minimized.

Timeline of events:

Monday, July 7: Low chlorine identified, localized flushing begins and systemwide chlorine levels are rectified

Tuesday, July 8: Localized flushing continues

Wednesday, July 9: Boil-water notice issued and a systemwide flush is initiated

Thursday, July 10: Systemwide flushing continues

Friday, July 11: After a press briefing at 3 pm, TCEQ approved chlorine conversion

Saturday, July 12: Chlorine conversion or chlorine burn begins

Sunday, July 13: Test for chlorine levels

Monday, July 14: Test for bacteria

Tuesday, July 15: Rescind boil water notice

“This chlorine conversion is not a health risk,” Garza said. “It’s an annual maintenance process that staff goes through to cleanse our system. We’ve been doing an annual chlorine conversion for more than 25 years.”

This year’s annual chlorine conversion was set to take place on Aug.1, but began Saturday at 7 a.m. Chlorine is implemented in drinking water to kill harmful bacteria and viruses that can cause waterborne diseases.

“I know this places a heavy burden on many of our residents as they plan and adjust to this situation,” Garza said.

The city of Victoria, after communicating with the mayor and the city’s chief financial officer, has approved a $10 credit to go on residential utility accounts. With more than 22,000 residential utility customer accounts, the city will be spending an estimated $220,000 to help residents purchase water.

More information on the mechanics of the $10 credit will be released in the coming days.

The city’s boil-water notice has been ongoing since Wednesday as residents prepared to endure another three days with unsafe drinking water. Many residents are still left wondering what caused the drop in chlorine levels in the first place.

“The priority of the last several days has been identifying and implementing a solution to resolve the water issues we currently face,” Crocker said. “I want to assure residents that the recent issues with our city’s water quality, which lead to a state mandated boil water notice, is both deeply troubling and wholly unacceptable.”

After conducting a chlorine and continuing to flush older water, the city’s public works department will be able to collect and send a sample Sunday to test for contaminants. The testing process takes 24 hours to allow for water samples to incubate.

“Our residents have every right to expect that the water flowing into their homes and businesses meet all health and safety standards, and because of this incident, that trust has been shaken,” Crocker said. “I want to make it absolutely clear that this failure will not be overlooked nor will it be minimized.”

At this time, the city of Victoria is still investigating what caused the drop in chlorine levels.

“Was it the result of a failure of established treatment processes? Was it the result of human error or a sign of aging infrastructure that no longer meets modern demands?” Crocker asked. “As mayor, I will be working closely with city council to call for a full accounting of what occurred, why it occurred and what must change to prevent it from happening again.”

The city will be evaluating oversight, process integrity, system reliability and will be looking at the best ways to implement long-term investments in the city’s water infrastructure.

“We recognize that while such improvements carry a significant cost, the cost of inaction may be even greater,” Crocker said. “I want to assure our community that restoring compliance, protecting public health and rebuilding confidence is now a top priority. Going forward we will not accept excuses and we insist on solutions our residents deserve.”