SINTON, Texas — The Food Bank of the Coastal Bend will be in Sinton today to provide free water after a water boil was ordered for the city earlier today.
Bea Hanson, executive director of the food bank, said their trucks filled with bottled water will arrive at 2:30 p.m. today at the Sinton Community Center, 1301 E. Sinton St.
The delivery comes after the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality has required the City of Sinton to notify all customers of a water boil prior to consumption.
Children, seniors, and persons with weakened immune systems are particularly vulnerable to harmful bacteria, and all customers should follow these directions.
The directive came after major line breaks and low water pressure was reported in the city's water system.
It led to all Sinton schools being closed today.
The San Patricio County Court House also is closed because of the water outage.
To ensure destruction of all harmful bacteria and other microbes, water for drinking, cooking, and ice making should be boiled and cooled prior to use for drinking water or human consumption purposes. The water should be brought to a vigorous rolling boil and then boiled for two minutes.
In lieu of boiling, individuals may purchase bottled water or obtain water from some other suitable source for drinking water or human consumption purposes.
When it is no longer necessary to boil the water, the public water system officials will notify customers that the water is safe for drinking water or human consumption purposes.
The Sinton Police Department reports that the city has experienced a loss of water supply, due to a major system malfunction with both water supply trunk lines experiencing failure.
There is no water for the city at this time.
The city recommends using bottled water at this time. And once the water has been restored, a boil water notice will be issued with instructions regarding use of bottled water.
