Gulf Coast Water Authority (GCWA) and the City of League City will be conducting water quality maintenance on the transmission and associated distribution systems served by GCWA’s Thomas Mackey Water Treatment Plant, which includes the City of League City, for approximately 14 days from April 15 to April 29, 2016.
GCWA is the City’s contracted provider for purchased surface water and provides treated drinking water from the Thomas Mackey Water Treatment Plant.
GCWA uses a standard combination of chlorine and ammonia for disinfection. This chloramine compound provides a longer lasting residual and is helpful in maintaining disinfection throughout the distribution system and in reducing taste and odor concerns.
The purpose of this maintenance action is to improve the water quality. Periodically, GCWA switches from chloramine to free chlorine disinfection – the switch is called a ‘reversion.’ The free chlorine enhances the disinfection and water line maintenance process, ensuring higher quality of water throughout the transmission and distribution systems.
This temporary change in the treatment process is standard water utility industry practice performed in accordance with State and Federal drinking water regulations. Additionally, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) has been consulted and approved this method for routine maintenance of potable water systems.
The public water supply may develop an odor or discoloration due to an aggressive flushing program that occurs during the reversion process. The safety of the water supply is not affected by this action; however, users of kidney dialysis machines and owners of tropical fish aquariums will need to make appropriate modifications to their procedures.
Water system officials will notify users, after the chlorine reversion is completed, that the water has returned to normal chloramine disinfection.
This will impact all users who receive their drinking water from the Thomas Mackey Water Treatment Plant including League City’s neighboring communities.
Contact the City of League City Water Production Department at (281) 554-1041 with questions concerning this matter.