Corpus Christi Is the Latest American City to Suffer a Water Crisis

In America's latest water-related kerfuffle, Corpus Christi, Texas, officials announced Sunday the city's drinking water is again safe to use after a four-day ban on drinking the potentially contaminated tap water. The ban on using water came as families were preparing for holiday gatherings and stores were in the midst of their busiest time of the year.

The city had ordered residents to stop using any city tap water on Dec. 14 after a chemical leak occurred at an asphalt plant leased to Ergon Asphalt and Emulsions, and officials were worried about drinking water contamination, the Associated Press reported.

The city announced Sunday that tests showed there was no sign of the chemicals in the public water supply, and residents could use the water again for drinking, cooking and bathing. "It is all full use, but we are going to continue to monitor as we go on," Mayor Dan McQueen told the Associated Press.

The ban put the city into a tailspin as residents stocked up on bottled water, schools closed and some businesses shuttered during the busy holiday shopping season, the Corpus Christi Caller reported.

The leak was thought to have been caused by broken equipment at the asphalt plant, and city officials continue to investigate how the issues that caused the leak went undiscovered, leading to potentially disastrous consequences.

"I hope you guys understand and feel the emotion I have right now," McQueen said at a press conference. "This certainly isn't something the city wanted to do. It's the 18th of December. We have Christmas right around the corner. My heart goes out to everybody in our city right now. I apologize. I apologize personally."

Tests done by the US Environmental Protection Agency showed no presence of chemicals in 28 water samples, the agency stated in a release Sunday. The EPA tested for Indulin AA-86, the trade name for an emulsifier used in asphalt production, with several methods and did not find the chemical in the water supply.

The EPA said reports of seven individuals who got sick after drinking the water after the ban was put in place have not been confirmed.

One section of the city had been cleared to start using drinking water on Dec. 15, and the rest of the city was cleared Sunday.

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