Brockovich Responds to Tyler Water Report

TYLER — Environmental activist Erin Brockovich continues to weigh in on the City of Tyler’s water woes. KETK reports the environmental activist and consumer advocate responded Tuesday to a evaluation report of the water supply conducted by a third party.

Brockovich issued the following statement:

“I applaud the Mayor’s directive to begin the process of fixing the Drinking Water System in Tyler, Texas. This ‘Initial Operational Evaluation Report’ … is just that, ‘Initial,” a beginning, a start. It took the City of Tyler many years of poor water quality technology decisions to get them into the predicament they find themselves in today and making up for past practices is not going to happen overnight… there is no quick fix.

“I agree with most of the recommendations made in the Initial Report… it just does not go far enough. The first recommended strategy, Enhanced Coagulation, was a directive from the USEPA and TCEQ over a decade ago for disinfection byproduct formation compliance…what happened?

“I support the corrosion control strategies, the disinfection credit strategies and the infrastructure modifications. I DO NOT support the addition of more ammonia to the drinking water. That recommendation is absolutely regressive. The Initial Report does not look at the problems in the distribution system… adding more ammonia will only make these problem much worse.

“The data set that is presented in the report is limited and incomplete, and thus, misleading. Only the “Compliance Data” is presented… I have evaluated the system performance data which presents a very different set of facts.

“My issues with Safe Drinking Water Act compliance in Tyler, Texas is not in any way directed at the Operational Staff working at the Water Treatment Plants or in the Distribution Systems. Straight up – my beef is with weak regulatory oversight and bad policymaker decisions based upon preconceived notions which are purely economically driven.

“Elected officials needed to be given the FACTS… all of the FACTS. They need to understand…cheap water at the treatment plant might mean lower utility rates, but what are the real costs of the damages done? Health impacts, property damage, infrastructure damage, environmental damage and waste?

“Again, this is just the beginning… my investigation is ongoing. I am awaiting additional public records act requested documents and for permission to discuss these and other issues with the City of Tyler’s consultant and author of this Initial Report.”

Brockovich’s remarks came in response to a recently completer third party review of Tyler’s water treatment process. According to the report, a high quantity of disinfection by-products in Tyler’s water is not dangerous. The assessment was requested by Mayor Martin Heines and City Manager Ed Broussard on November 4 following notification that Tyler experienced non-compliance with Texas Commission on Environmental Quality standards for disinfection by-products (DBPs). DBPs are formed by the reaction of disinfectants, like chlorine, with naturally occurring organic material in source water. Brockovich jumped into the fray early on, voicing her concerns about the local water supply.

According to a city news release, “We are told that DBPs are not dangerous to individuals when ingested over a short duration, as is the case in this situation,” said Broussard. “However, we thought this was a good opportunity to get third party input on any improvements we could make to our processes to minimize the potential of this happening in the future.”

The City hired Enprotec/Hibbs &Todd, Inc. to conduct the assessment. Their team competed a data review and also a two-day site visit.

In their final report to the city, the firm made several recommendations to reduce the formation of DBPs resulting from the disinfection protocols. According to the city, some of these recommendations can be completed in the near future at little cost, while others will take longer and involve capital investment.