AUSTIN (Talk1370.com) -- At least six Austin City Council members are calling for an external audit of the city-owned Austin Water utility, after a weekend system-wide boil water notice was issued after "operational oversights" during the treatment process at the Ullrich Water Treatment Plant.
Mayor Pro-Tem Alison Alter is leading the call for the external audit into the utility's operations and its recent water quality issues, including the two previous system-wide boil water notices following the 2021 winter storm and a 2018 notice caused by heavy rainfall overloading the system.
Prior to the 2018 notice, Austin Water had never had to issue a system-wide boil water notice; instead, notices are usually issued for isolated main breaks or issues in individual pressure zones across the system.
In addition to Alter, council members Kathie Tovo, Vanessa Fuentes, Paige Ellis, Leslie Pool, and Mackenzie Kelly have signed on to co-sponsor the resolution calling for the audit, which is set to appear on the council's Feb. 17 agenda.
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"While I appreciate the efforts of City staff to restore our water and distribute supplies to those in need, we must take steps to prevent this from happening again," Alter wrote in a newsletter to her District 10 constituents.
In addition to the proposed audit that council will consider next week, the Austin Water Oversight Committee is expected to discuss the matter in its next meeting on Feb. 23. An internal investigation into the incident is also underway, officials have said.