Report: Chemical leak reported week before public was warned

DALLAS (AP) — A chemical leak from an asphalt plant that led Corpus Christi officials to warn residents this week not to drink the water was apparently reported a week earlier, according to an email from a state environmental official.

The internal email sent Wednesday by Susan Clewis, a regional director for the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, contained an incident report that described the leak as a "backflow incident from a chemical tank impacting the public water system."

The amber liquid is considered a hazardous material by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration and could cause damage to internal organs.

Ergon has said in a statement that it has been in contact with the TCEQ and was "working cooperatively to provide all information to ensure state officials can remedy the situation as quickly as possible."

State and city officials have referred to a "backflow problem" at the plant, and Womack said inspectors didn't find a device in place that prevents contaminated water from flowing backward into a potable water supply.

[...] city officials on Friday continued to ease restrictions on the use of tap water while workers flushed water pipes to make sure any remnants of the chemical are removed.

In May, the city issued its third boil-water advisory in a year as a precaution after nitrogen-rich runoff from rain flowed into the water system, resulting in low chlorine disinfectant levels in the water supply.