Friday, September 20, 2024
Last month, the City of Granbury announced that 22 water samples collected in March showed elevated lead levels. Although the situation has since improved, a new concern has recently emerged in local neighborhoods.
The Granbury City Council unanimously approved a $105,000 Water Main Replacement Project for residents who live on Elizabeth Street and Penrod Boulevard to address a water discoloration issue.
During the meeting, City Manager Chris Coffman explained that recent concerns prompted by high lead levels in the water supply have highlighted ongoing issues in certain neighborhoods. He noted that some residents have reported reddish water, which can be traced back to aging cast iron water pipes, likely connected with lead solder that dates back 70 to 90 years.
"Those pipes are old, and so we proposed to move forward to exchange those and put in new pipes,” he explained. “In the meantime, we've been flushing the fire hydrants on those lines on a regular basis to keep the rust, or what's apparent to be rust, out of the pipes."
Coffman stated that while the pipe remains structurally intact, the treatment materials used in the water supply interact with the cast iron, resulting in a reddish tint to the water — which is not suitable for washing clothes. He said while the water is safe to drink, it does have an unsightly color and a minor taste change.
“We've got red (water) coming out to this lady's house where she can't wash white clothes,” Coffman said. “We've offered to provide bottled water; she did decline that, but we're trying to address the problem in the neighborhood.”
Coffman explained that while the problem on Elizabeth Street has been a pervasive issue for quite some time, the main concern currently lies with Penrod Boulevard. He added that crews are currently in the process of replacing about 400 feet of pipeline downtown using city labor. However, he acknowledged the project is too large to handle in-house, which is why they are seeking to hire an engineer and put the project out for bid to determine the costs.
He remarked that the project involves approximately 2,500 feet of piping, which will be costly. He said while the engineering costs will be about $100,000, he explained that the total project could reach around a million dollars or more due to rising construction expenses.
Additionally, Coffman noted that the city is preparing for a new mandate regarding lead and copper testing, which is the reason for the recent lead assessments.
He added that the same homes were retested for lead, and while the initial results indicated elevated levels, the follow-up testing revealed only minimal traces of lead.
"There's something going on with the testing lab, or something was contaminated in the bottles or something, because we've never had a lead test with those kind of results in the past,” Coffman explained. “So, we will be testing those same properties again in the next quarter, and I'm expecting to see the same good results again.”
Place 6 Councilman Greg Corrigan made a motion to approve the Water Main Replacement Project totaling $105,000. A budget amendment utilizing surplus water revenues in the City’s utility fund will cover the expense. Following a second from Place 4 Councilmember Skip Overdier, the motion passed unanimously. Mayor Pro Tem Steven Vale and Place 3 Councilmember Bruce Wadley were absent during the meeting.
