1. Steve Massey, director of community services administration in Allen, says the water has been treated with a chlorine burn for a decade. But this year, the city received more complaints from people that water smelled and tasted of chlorine.
2. In March, @ErinBrockovich sounded the alarm about the water. She came to North Texas on April 5. You can read more about that here: dallasnews.com/news/plano/201…
3. Members of the @saferwaterNTX are here wearing their blue shirts. Here's what they're up to now that @ErinBrockovich has left: dallasnews.com/news/environme…
4. The water outcry erupted more than a month ago when the district began its annual 28-day chlorine "maintenance," also called a chlorine burn. That ended March 26.
5. Massey said the water is the most regulated thing they do in Allen. He said residual disinfectant is must to control microbial growth.
6. Time, distance and higher water temps (esp. in the summer) deplete disinfectant and promote microbial growth.
7. For more on the science behind all of this, read this story by dmn's env reporter @jeffmosier: dallasnews.com/news/environme…
8. Tom Kula, exec dirctor of the @NTMWD, said the water district has been treating water to cities since 1956. This is the first time the water district has seen this level of concern about the way it treats its water, he said.
9. Kula said it's "unfortunate" that recent posts on social media that included "half-truths and partial information" have created distrust. He said this is an opportunity to address concerns.
10. Billy George, assistant deputy director of @NTMWD, said they understand the public "wants to know more." He said they've done additional sampling and testing by independent lab for disinfection byproducts during chlorine burn, among other things.
11. George said they've gather panel of experts to address residents' concerns. He said they're "here to serve the public."
12. FYI: The water district has repeatedly assured its nearly 1.7 million customers that their water meets state and federal standards and is safe.
13. But people have complained during burn that water smelled like an "over-chlorinated swimming pool." They've raised possible health effects such as rashes and hair loss.
14. George said water district and cities rely on regulatory experts to use science when developing standards. George said they recognize health concerns and rely on public health community evaluations.
15. George said @NTMWD has made "investments" to improve water quality. In 2014, it turned on ozone -- a $127 million process to reduce byproducts and eliminate some taste and smell problems. By 2020, it will have biologically active filtration.
16. George also said considering additional testing and will have ongoing meetings with cities to discuss water quality.
17. Allen resident said every year people complain about the water and a lot more people complained about it this year. He said the odor has been significantly higher this year and that this outcry didn't start bc of a facebook post @ErinBrockovich wrote.
18. Kula said the chlorine maintenance has never been to correct a problem. but a preventative maintenance to ensure pipes are in the healthiest condition before hot summer months. He said it's to prevent a build up of bacteria or film that could be problematic in the summer.
19. Kula said initial review says the water district hasn't done anything differently this year that would cause taste and smell of chlorine in water to be more pronounced during burn. It's bringing in others to look at data to see if there is something that happened.
20. Another resident asked if it was safe to put tap water in her baby's cup. Allen City Manager Peter Vargas said the water is safe. He said he doesn't drink bottled water; he drinks tap water. But he said they're always looking to improve.
21. Leigh Wilcox, @saferwaterNTX co-founder, asked why biofilters that will come in 2020 aren't already in place since ozone is online. George said you want to implement one piece and see if that's enough. @NTMWD said they're moving as fast as they can on the biofilters.
22. @saferwaterNTX using an online survey to gather data on how the water has affected people's health. Kula said they care and if someone has some kind of ailment they want to make sure they get medical attention, but he said he doesn't know how much is tied to the water.
23. An attendee criticized the water district for registering the Internet domains safewaternorthtexas.com and saferwaternorthtexas.com — the latter automatically routes users to the former — a few days after @saferwaterNTX organized.
24. The site, which was registered anonymously, links to a water district site that disputes critics and assures people their water is safe.
25. Kula said they did get that safewater URL as an opportunity to get information out there. "As simple as that was," he said.
