Current News & Updates

IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT YOUR DRINKING WATER

Goforth Special Utility District (PWS ID: 1050019) had a raw ground water source sample that tested positive for E. coli on 12/3/2013.  These bacteria can make you sick, and are a particular concern for infants, young children and people with weakened immune systems.

WHAT SHOULD I DO?  WHAT DOES THIS MEAN?

1. Fecal indicators are microbes whose presence indicates that the water may be contaminated with human or animal wastes. Microbes in these wastes can cause short-term health effects, such as diarrhea, cramps, nausea, headaches, or other symptoms. They may pose a special health risk for infants, young children, some of the elderly, and people with severely compromised immune systems.

1. The symptoms above are not caused only by organisms in drinking water. If you experience any of these symptoms and they persist, you may want to seek medical advice. People at increased risk should seek advice from their health care providers about drinking this water.

Corrective action: This sample was taken from a raw water well before treatment.  The well in question has been temporarily taken out of service and additional samples have been taken.  In addition, Goforth will take the precautionary measures of disinfecting and resampling the well after disinfection.

We anticipate resolving the problem within two working days.  For more information, please contact Mario Tobias at (512) 376-5695 or 8900 Niederwald Strasse, Niederwald, Texas 78640.

Please share this information with all the other 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.

General guidelines on ways to lessen the risk of infection by microbes are available from the EPA Safe Drinking Water Hotline at 1-800-426-4791.

Date distributed: 12/4/2013

The above language is mandatory language required by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) to be included in a public notification to our customers.  This notice was triggered because one water sample was reported to have tested positive for E. coli on December 3, 2013.  We believe the positive E.coli test resulted from an error in sampling.  Other samples, taken on the same day, did not indicate the presence of E. coli.  Although this incident was not an emergency, as our customer, you have the right to know what happened and what we did and are doing to correct the situation.  This is not a boil water notice; you do not need to boil your water. 

The sample which was reported to have tested positive was taken from a raw water source before being treated.  The water was treated before being distributed to any customers and an earlier sample of the treated water showed that the water met all drinking water standards.  The well in question has been temporarily taken out of service and will remain out of service until new tests are taken.  The safety of our water is our highest priority and we are now taking additional steps in monitoring, testing, and operator training to address these issues.  If you have any questions on this issue, please contact us at the number above or by e-mail at mario@goforthwater.org.