San Diego's water supply tested higher than normal on arsenic levels

• San Diego residents received letters from the town's water district alerting them to higher than normal arsenic levels.
• Rudy Torres Jr, general manager for San Diego Municipal Utility District, said the problem was caused by two wells that stayed open longer than normal.
• After a second testing from TECQ - the arsenic levels in the town's water was below the allowed amount in Texas.

Residents of San Diego received letters from the water district about high arsenic levels in the water.

Rudy Torres Jr., general manager for the San Diego Municipal Utility District, said the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality tested the city’s water levels and notified them of the results.

“And we had 11 parts per million. I think our highest was 13.5 parts per million for the year 2023,” Torres said.

As per TCEQ, the allowed amount of arsenic in Texas drinking water should be 10 parts per million. Because of the city’s numbers were higher, Torres’ department got to work to find the problem.

“Within a week we tested all our wells. We tested all our tanks. We found out that the higher levels were again coming from two water wells,” Torres said.

So, what caused the problem?

The district has seven wells in the city. Torres said the wells were on an automatic circuit. When they couldn’t afford the circuit, the wells in question stayed on longer than normal. To remedy the problem, all seven wells were reopened and the water from each well was "mixed" to bring down the arsenic levels.

“The water is safe to drink. I mean I drink it,” Torres urged.

San Diego resident Freddy James Armstrong said when he received the contamination letter, he decided to play it safe and drink bottled water.

Armstrong has known Torres for decades, as Torres was a former student of Armstrong.

“I’ve always believed what he’s told me. He’s always been a good young man and if he says the situation has been taken care of I believe him. I appreciate the city or whoever sent the letter to us for letting us know. That way we can take some measures now,” Armstrong said.

General manager Rudy Torres Jr. said the district tests the water twice a month to ensure the waters safety.

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