City of Gonzales issues Annual Water Quality Report

The City of Gonzales has released its Annual Water Quality Report. The required report mailed out to city water customers last week. The report covers the reporting period from January 1, 2016 through December 31, 2016.

According to the city’s mailer the Gonzales’ drinking water has surpassed state water quality regulations and regulations set forth by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

"We have a superior water system," City Manager Sean Lally said.

Gonzales’ water is drawn from the Guadalupe River and from the Carrizo-Wilcox Aquifer Wells and is treated by disinfection and filtration, to remove or reduce contaminants.

The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) has assessed the water quality in Gonzales and has found some of the water sources could be susceptible to contaminants, but local testing has found no contaminants at levels exceeding safety standards.

The EPA sets regulations to limit certain contaminants in public drinking water, but maintains drinking water can be expected to harbor at least small amounts of these contaminants. The presence of these contaminants does not necessarily meant the water is unsafe for drinking.

Most contaminants are naturally occurring or caused by runoff. Just three of the monitored contaminants are caused by the process of disinfection. One contaminant is a byproduct of herbicide.

The city had three violations in this reporting period but none were related to water quality. One violation was an oversight where the city did not inform consumers of a violation. The other two violations happened when workers submitted the wrong number samples for testing. There should have been 12 samples collected, but only 10 were sent to the lab and by the time it was realized the deadline for sample submission had passed.

"This problem is being addressed with staff and in the future will be more closely monitored," Lally said.

Any questions related to water quality should be directed to Director of City Water Works Ryan Wilkerson at 830-672-3525.