AUSTIN, Texas (AP) – Nearly 900,000 people in Texas’ capital may have to boil their tap water for two weeks as officials struggle to treat a water supply filled with silt, mud and debris after heavy rains and flooding.
The Austin American-Statesman reports that Travis County Chief Emergency Management Coordinator Eric Carter told a commissioners court meeting Tuesday that 888,000 people may have to wait 10-14 days for the system to settle.
On Monday, the city told 1 million-plus residents to boil water for drinking, cooking and ice. Austin Water warned that insufficiently treated water could contain bacteria, viruses, and parasites.
Officials are also urging drastic water-use reductions, banning outdoor watering and using water for businesses such as commercial car washes.
Many stores have sold out of bottled water and restaurants have begun closing.
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Information from: Austin American-Statesman, http://www.statesman.com
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