Laredo ends boil water notice after 11 days, draws attention to illegal connections and old pipes

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McALLEN — Laredo residents are free to use their water after an 11-day boil water advisory expired earlier this week.

City authorities announced the end of the alert and pledged to address the factors believed to have caused the city’s water crisis. These factors include illegal connections to the city’s water system and old pipes that need to be replaced.

Laredo Mayor Victor D. Treviño announced that the city would begin an amnesty program for illegal water connections to encourage residents to speak out about possible violations after the city identified more than 200 bad or illegal connections throughout its investigation.

People who report illegal calls during the amnesty period will not face fines or penalties.

“Since more than 200 violations have been found in the central area of ​​Laredo alone, I believe it is logical that there are many more in the city,” Treviño said during a news conference Wednesday.

The city lifted the citywide boil water advisory on Monday, after having had it in place since October 10. It was first implemented when E. coli was discovered in water. A city of more than 256,000 people, Laredo is one of the most populous to issue a boil water advisory after Houston did so in 2022. It is also the last in Texas to deal with the consequences potentially caused by outdated water infrastructure.

During the investigation, city officials identified outdated water pipes throughout the city as a possible factor in the water crisis.

More than 30 percent of its water lines are more than 50 years old, Laredo City Manager Joseph Neeb said, adding that they plan to replace those pipes.

“Now that we’re figuring out the magnitude of the problem, our goal is to help fix it,” Neeb said.

Treviño reiterated plans to offer residents discounts on their water bills and provide financial assistance to businesses. To keep the public informed, the city is also planning a series of town hall meetings, the first of which is scheduled for November 7th.

Amid the fallout from the contamination, the city’s public services department remains in a state of flux. Arturo Garcia, the city’s assistant director of public services, resigned from his position last week.

The city declined to provide further details about Garcia’s resignation, but Neeb said the utilities department was in the midst of restructuring.

To lead the department, the city council approved a six-month, $200,000 contract with Strategic Government Resources, a consulting group, to provide an interim director of public services and provide a report on how the department can improve. .

They also hope to fill other needed positions, including inspectors and engineers.

“Now that the emergency is over, the real work begins,” Neeb said.

Reports in the Rio Grande Valley are supported in part by South Texas Methodist Health Ministries, Inc.