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A boil water notice in the city of Port Arthur has been lifted as of 2:15 p.m. Monday, officials said.

The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality required the city to issue the boil water notice Saturday following a water main leak that caused water pressure to drop below 20psi.

The leak was first noticed late Friday/early Saturday when water pressure was low. City crews began to search for the cause and found it near the city’s water treatment plant, city manager Ron Burton said.

A tree was pushed over during last week’s storm and tornado that was sitting on top of the main line and a break occurred, according to Burton.

Emergency alerts were sent out through STAN Saturday, Sunday and Monday of a boil water notice as the water pressure for the entire city fell below 20 psi state requirement by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality.

Burton said samples were sent to the TCEQ and take 24 hours to learn the results.

Port Arthur District 3 Councilmember Doneane Beckcom said she had received feedback from residents about the lack of communication between the city and residents about the issue.

She said she’s been relaying information she received piecemeal from the water department and city manager’s office.

Confusion continued Monday morning when a STAN notice was sent out that still had the April 13 date. News media had the information but, she said, not everyone watches morning news.

“I had people asking how many hours the water pressure was going to be low, when the repair was going to be completed, and of course, when will the notice be lifted, so I’ve tried to explain to them the process that we have to go through with TCEQ doing testing of the water and the last sample was taken less than 24 hours ago, so we will continue to be under the notice for the rest of (Monday),” Beckcom said, adding the city is not communicating those things well.

Infrastructure

The tree that caused the problems sheds light on the city’s aging infrastructure and lack of maintenance over the past 30 years.

“If we are going to be able to control the situation, we need to make sure we do due diligence, hire more employees and raise more capital in order the address the concerns,” Burton said.

According to Burton, neglecting the infrastructure issues leads to more incidents.

During a budget update in August of 2023, Hani Tohme, consultant to the city manager, presented information on the state of the city’s infrastructure and the need for a rate increase to fund rehabilitation and repair.

Tohme proposed a 7 percent increase in water and sewer rates in order to generate the needed money to get back on track.

Burton said Monday he would need to remind council of Tohme’s report and the need for a water rate increase.

The city’s water and sewer fund is considered an enterprise fund, meaning it is funded through user charges.

“These will be hard decisions but critical,” Burton said.

There are no grants available through the Texas Water Development Board that would cover the cost of a project as large as the infrastructure needs of the city. There are, however, loans, which must be paid back.

Disaster

Jefferson County Judge Jeff Branick on Monday signed a Declaration of Disaster related to the tornado damages.

Burton said the city would need to research how this will impact the city.

As of 4:35 p.m. Monday, Port Arthur Mayor Thurman Bartie also issued a declaration of disaster.