Ozone generator at Lake Palestine Water Treatment Plant down due to hard freeze

TYLER – Tyler Water Utilities is working to restore its ozone generator at the Lake Palestine Water Treatment Plant after a portion of the system froze during Tuesday night’s hard freeze. Staff are actively working to thaw and restart the ozone generator as soon as possible, with restoration efforts expected to continue through until finished. The Powdered Activated Carbon (PAC) feed system is running at maximum capacity to mitigate any potential impacts.

With elevated seasonal geosmin levels detected in the water coming into the plant in recent weeks, the temporary outage of the ozone generator may lead to an increase in taste and odor concerns. Geosmin is a naturally occurring compound that can cause an earthy taste and odor in drinking water but does not pose a health risk.

Staff have deployed heaters and are taking all necessary precautions to maintain temperatures above freezing inside the facility to combat the freezing conditions that are forecast over the coming days. There are no other weather-related issues at Tyler Water Utilities facilities. Tyler Water Utilities will continue monitoring conditions and providing updates as needed.