GLADEWATER, Texas — The City of Gladewater says its water is safe to drink and use after a quarterly sample in February exceeded the maximum contamination of a certain compound.
According to a notice issued Feb. 28, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality notified the city of Gladewater that the drinking water went over the allowed maximum contaminant level for total trihalomethanes. The sample for the first sample of 2024 was 0.084 milligrams per liter and 0.083 milligrams per liter. The maximum from U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is set at 0.08 milligrams per liter.
The notice states trihalomethanes are a group of volatile organic compounds that are formed when chlorine is added to the water during the treatment process for disinfection and the chlorine reacts with naturally-occurring organic matter in the water.
Wendy Emmel, city of Gladewater water plant manager, said despite this test result, the city of Gladewater is very safe to drink.
She said the sample happened after winter storm in January while ice was still on the road, and the crews didn't get to flush the water system as much as they should have.
People will only see impacts, such as liver, kidney and central nervous system issues, from exposure to the trihalomethanes if they consume the water having a certain level of this compound continually over many years.
In the notice, the city said crews will continue to flush hydrants throughout the city each month.
The next quarter's sample will be collected in April, Emmel said.