MARLIN. TEXAS — Our neighbors in Marlin have a lot of questions about their drinking water.
“Marlin residents and animals are now at higher risk of developing cancer and chronic diseases. Your inactions are costing lives,” Dorothy Sanders said.
But so far, few answers.
“I understand their frustration… the immediate attention here is imperative. We really do need to get something going,” council member John Armstrong said during Tuesday’s city council meeting.
On March 26th the City of Marlin put up an alarming post on its website—saying the city’s drinking water could have unacceptable levels of haloacetic acids. These are byproducts created when water is disinfected.
The same post reads, quote, “ Some people who drink water containing haloacetic acids in excess over many years may have an increased risk of getting cancer.”
The city was made aware of this issue by the Texas Commission of Environmental Quality.
25 News attended Tuesday's city council meeting, where council members discussed what could be done—but took no definitive action.
So I went to the mayor’s office to get some answers.
“I just think it went high because of the brown water issue and the recommendations of TCEQ at the time because literally nobody knew how to deal with it,” Marlin Mayor Susan Byrd said.
The mayor is talking about the story I told you about in January,when freezing temperatures left hundreds without water for days.
I did some research and found TCEQ records showing the city received the same violation in 2019, 2020, and 2021.
“They have to give the warning but I don’t think it’s going to affect our health as much as the way people think it will,” Byrd said.
The mayor tells me the levels are back to normal at this time.
“I don’t think the residents in the City of Marlin have anything to worry about the one month that this was high for us, or the one quarter that this was high for us,” Byrd said.
The city’s website states the city is trying to get federal funding through the Texas Water Development Board.
But it’s been less than a year since the board gave the city $13 million dollars to help pay for water infrastructure plans.
The mayor tells 25 News she plans to release a press release on the situation.
