February 17, 2020

To Whom It May Concern:

The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) has notified the CITY OF ANDREWS TX0020001 public water system that the drinking water being supplied to customers had exceeded the Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL) for arsenic. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA) has established the MCL for arsenic to be 0.010 milligrams per liter (mg/L) based on the running annual average (RAA) and has determined that it is a health concern at levels above the MCL. Analysis of drinking water in your community for arsenic indicates a compliance value in quarter four 2019 of 0.012 mg/L for EP001.

This is not an emergency. However, some people who drink water containing arsenic in excess of the MCL over many years could experience skin damage or problems with their circulatory system and may have an increased risk of getting cancer.

You do not need to use an alternative water supply. However, if you have health concerns, you may want to talk to your doctor to get more information about how this may affect you.

We are taking the following actions to address this issue:
Samples taken by the TCEQ over the past three quarters show arsenic levels consistently below the U.S. EPA MCL of 0.010 mg/L. Samples taken on April 17, 2019 showed lower arsenic levels at 0.0051 mg/L; samples taken on August 20, 2019 showed lower arsenic levels at 0.0093 mg/L; and samples taken on November 20, 2019 showed lower arsenic levels at 0.0069 mg/L. The higher running annual average arsenic level of 0.012 mg/L is due to the TCEQ sample taken over twelve months ago on January 17, 2019 which showed arsenic levels to be at 0.0252 mg/L. During the time the January 17, 2019 sample was taken, the City’s water filtering system was offline for unforeseen maintenance issues. Since the water treatment plant’s filtering system was placed back online in March 2019, arsenic levels have been well below the EPA’s MCL of 0.010 mg/L as evidenced by the TCEQ sample results. With the City’s water filtering system operating as designed, drinking water will return to arsenic compliance (running annual average) during the first quarter of 2020. The City is dedicated to providing its citizens with high-quality water which meets the requirements of the TCEQ’s Drinking Water Standards as demonstrated by the construction of an innovative, state of the art, water treatment plant capable of producing high-quality drinking water.

Please share this information with all people who drink this water, especially those who may not have received this notice directly (for example, people in apartments, nursing homes, schools, and businesses). You can do this by posting this notice in a public place or distributing copies by hand or mail.

For further information regarding this matter, you may contact the City of Andrews at 432/523-4820.

Public Water System ID# 0020001