Lometa - Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL) Exceeded for Total Haloacetic Acids

Mandatory Language for a Maximum Contaminant Level Violation

                              MCL, LRAA/ TOTAL HALOACETIC ACIDS (HAA5)

The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) has notified the Lometa Regional (TX1410002) public water system that the drinking water being supplied to customers had exceeded the Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL) for total haloacetic acids. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA) has established the MCL for total haloacetic acids to be 0.060 milligrams per liter (mg/L) based on a locational running annual average (LRAA), and has determined that it is a health concern at levels above the MCL. Analysis of drinking water in your community for total haloacetic acids indicates a compliance value for quarter four of 2024 of 0.061 mg/L at sample point DBP2-01.

Haloacetic acids are a group of volatile organic compounds that are formed when chlorine, added to the water during the treatment process for disinfection, reacts with naturally‑occurring organic matter in the water.

Some people who drink water containing haloacetic acids in excess of the MCL over many years may have an increased risk of getting cancer.

You do not need to use an alternative water supply. However, if you have health concerns, you may want to talk to your doctor to get more information about how this may affect you.

We are taking the following actions to address this issue:

To decrease the concentration of HAA5 in the system, the Lometa Water System has adjusted the chemical treatment ratios which will allow for organics to be more readily converted and lessen the disinfection byproducts.

Please share this information with all people who drink this water, especially those who may not have received this notice directly (i.e., people in apartments, nursing homes, schools, and businesses). You can do this by posting this notice in a public place or distributing copies by hand or mail.

If you have questions regarding this matter, you may contact Haley Nunn at 512-549-9589.