Tap water in Austin is unsafe to drink

[dalton99a]

https://www.cnn.com/2018/10/23/us/austin-water-shortage-flooding/index.html

Austin, Texas, could run out of water if residents don't curb use amid floods
By Paul P. Murphy, CNN
Updated 11:44 AM ET, Tue October 23, 2018

(CNN) Officials are urging residents of Texas' capital city to cut water consumption by at least 15% so water treatment plants can catch up with demand as historic flooding continues to muck up lakes that supply the region's tap water.

"Immediate action is needed to avoid running out of water," Austin leaders said Monday in a statement. "Emergency conservation now required."

A boil-water advisory remains in effect Tuesday, as the city works to filter "much higher levels of debris, silt, and mud" from the Highland Lakes.

Reservoir water in Texas' fourth-biggest city already was reaching "minimal levels" on Monday, according to the statement. Residents were using 120 million gallons of water per day, or about 15 million gallons more than water treatment plants can produce daily, it said.

"There is an urgent need to reduce water demand to allow treatment plant operations to stabilize," city leaders stated.
Outdoor water use has been prohibited, officials said, and violators may be reported to the city's 311 hotline.

Businesses, especially restaurants, coffee shops and bars, have been hit hard by the boil-water advisory.






https://www.statesman.com/news/20181023/breaking-austin-boil-water-order-could-last-10-14-days-officials-say

BREAKING: Austin boil-water order could last 10-14 days, officials say
By Kelsey Bradshaw
By Taylor Goldenstein
Posted at 7:39 AM Updated at 10:10 AM

10 a.m. update: The Travis County emergency management coordinator says the boil-water order in Austin could last 10 to 14 days as the city’s water treatment system tries to restore normal output.

[anarch]

1. all the bottled water is sold out at all the stores too

and it's not just Austin itself, but pretty much anywhere downstream of the Hill Country lake system that gets its water from there; all the flooding has completely overwhelmed the filtration plants with silt.

[mucifer]

2. Chicago has a huge problem with lead in the water:

https://www.cnn.com/2018/04/12/health/chicago-water-lead-report-bn/index.html

But, you know we don't need any agencies regulating this.

[Gothmog]

3. My middle child and her husband live in Austin