CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Corpus Christi residents may have noticed their tap water smells and tastes a little different lately.
Corpus Christi Water detected an increase in organic matter from the Nueces River late last week. It is a naturally occurring issue associated with surface water supplies, and it has made its way into the city's water supply system.
Nick Winkleman, chief operating officer of Corpus Christi Water, said the water remains safe to drink.
"The organics did make it into the city's water supply system. And some residents may observe an earthy or musty smell, odor, and taste. One thing to note is that the treatment processes continue to be maintained. Chlorine residuals are maintained and the water is meeting all regulatory standards."
Winkleman said upgrades made in the 2016-2017 timeframe have helped the city avoid more serious water quality issues. Those upgrades included adding monitoring sites throughout the city, increased sampling protocols, and new procedures to keep water moving through elevated and ground storage tanks. Corpus Christi Water also uses chlorine dioxide to enhance water chemistry and maintains a high minimum level of disinfectant in the water at all times.
Winkleman said crews are currently working to move the organic matter through the system, but they are not flushing hydrants due to the situation with the Merry Roads pipeline and the city's current dependency on western reservoirs.
"We expect probably over the next couple of days we would see a decrease. Of course all that depends on where you're at in the distribution system and how much water is moving through your system at the time."
In the meantime, at least one local business is offering an alternative. Saigon's Civet Cafe posted on Facebook offering free high-quality filtered water to anyone who brings their own container. The cafe is located at 2222 Airline Road, Suite A1, on the southside of Corpus Christi.
Residents with concerns about their water quality are encouraged to contact the city.
"One thing that any resident can do is to call 311 and report any potential issue with the supply and CCW can send techs out to the site and confirm that we continue to meet the regulatory standards."
Corpus Christi Water has issued multiple press releases on the situation and said it will continue to provide updates, particularly regarding the Merry Roads pipeline.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
For the latest local news updates, click here, or download the KRIS 6 News App.
Catch all the KRIS 6 News stories and more on our YouTube page. Subscribe today!
