Rockdale’s water system is incurring more expense after the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) gave the city a Nov. 30 deadline to address what it sees as a chemical imbalance.
City Manager Chris Whittaker told the city council Tuesday the TCEQ mandates “pH levels” be between 7 and 10 (seven is the neutral point between acid and alkaline) and Rockdale’s is 6.5.
That came after an inspection, triggered by a citizen complaint.
He said Rockdale will have to install tanks, pumps and a caustic additive to get to that mark.
“Obviously, that’s not going to happen by Nov. 30, so we’re going to have to ask for an extension and show TCEQ we’re making progress,” he said.
Ironically, Whittaker said the project will not fix Rockdale’s chronic red water problem. “Once it goes through those old cast iron pipes we lose that pH level until we fix the water system like we have planned,” he said.
“This is essentially a band aid,” he said. Cost is not yet known.
The city has applied for up to $45-million from the Texas Water Development Board to basically replace Rockdale’s entire water system.
At the December council session the impact of that massive project on water rates will be a topic for discussion.
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