At the July 15 City Council meeting, Mayor Duane Crocker announced concrete steps that would be taken to identify the root causes of the recent boil-water notice and prevent similar problems in the future.

The mayor announced that he, Mayor Pro-Tem Dr. Andrew Young and Councilwoman Jan Scott would serve on a City Council committee that will thoroughly investigate the circumstances surrounding the boil-water notice.

“I want to repeat Council’s previously stated position on this matter: This incident with our water supply was unacceptable, and it demands a thorough review and accounting,” the mayor said.

What will the committee do?

The committee will examine every aspect of the City’s water system—technical, operational and organizational—to determine the causes of the failure and identify solutions. This work will include:

• Reconstructing and verifying the full timeline of events
• Reviewing treatment protocols and equipment performance
• Evaluating the condition of water-related infrastructure
• Scrutinizing oversight and accountability measures
• Engaging with City staff and other resources as needed

“No issue will be off the table, and no question will go unasked,” the mayor said.

Mayor Crocker assured residents that the committee will be open with its work and that all findings and recommendations will be shared with the public.

“The public will have a clear window into the work of this committee,” the mayor said. “The citizens of Victoria deserve answers, accountability and action.”

What do we know so far?

Also at the July 15 meeting, City Manager Jesús A. Garza provided an overview of key events before and after the boil-water notice was issued.

Garza explained that when the TCEQ became involved July 8, they did not require the City to immediately issue a boil-water notice based on the circumstances. Instead, the TCEQ gave the City an opportunity to rectify the compliance issues.

After localized flushing and chloramine treatment did not correct the problem, TCEQ required the City to issue the boil-water notice out of an abundance of caution on the evening of Wednesday, July 9.

The TCEQ required the City’s water system to pass two tests in order for the notice to be lifted: first, a chlorine residual test; and second, a bacteriological test to confirm that there were no further issues.

The City continued its corrective measures with a more aggressive systemwide flush, followed by chlorine conversion. As a result, the TCEQ confirmed on July 14 that the City’s chlorine levels were back in compliance, and on July 15 the City passed the bacteriological test and lifted the boil-water notice at 6:30 p.m.

Now that the notice has been lifted, staff’s focus will turn to supporting the work of the Council committee, as well as reviewing staff’s performance during the event.

During his remarks, Garza echoed the mayor’s statement that the system failure was “unacceptable” and acknowledged his responsibility “for any element of this that might have been preventable, whether that be through lack of technology, training, or anything else.”

“It is my sole job to ensure that our entire organization and all the services that we provide are performed in a professional and reputable manner, in a manner that continues to grow the trust of the community, and it’s not lost on me that this situation has taken a blow to that trust,” Garza said. “I assure you that everyone involved with this situation internally has taken that responsibility very personally.”

What about SCADA improvements?

One of the tasks of the Council committee will be to determine whether the City water system’s 25-year-old Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) infrastructure played a role in the issues that prompted the boil-water notice.

The City previously had problems with the SCADA system during Winter Storm Uri, which prompted staff to design and seek funding for improvements.

At the July 15 City Council meeting, Garza explained that the City is pursuing a CDBG Hazard Mitigation grant to upgrade the water and sewer SCADA systems. However, this process has been ongoing for two years, and the City has not yet received final approval.

Garza presented an option to proceed with the water SCADA improvements in fiscal year 2026 by delaying an unrelated project at the Regional Wastewater Treatment Plant and by adjusting the Victoria Sales Tax Development Corporation’s commitment to the Victoria Community Center project. Council will consider this option as part of the ongoing budget planning process.

Watch City Council meetings

City Council meetings are held the first and third Tuesday of every month at 5 p.m. at City Council chambers, 105 W. Juan Linn St.

Meetings are broadcast live on TV15 (municipal cable channels 15 and 115), online at www.victoriatx.gov/tv15 and on YouTube at Victoria Texas Public Meetings. Residents can watch past meetings at www.victoriatx.gov/tv15 and on the YouTube channel.

Residents can look up agendas for past and upcoming meetings at www.victoriatx.gov/agendas. Agendas are typically posted the Friday afternoon before a meeting.

For a quick recap of each City Council meeting, residents can watch The Rundown on the City’s Facebook page at City of Victoria, Texas – Government and on the City’s primary YouTube channel, Victoria Texas Videos.

Sign up for the Alert Center

Residents can sign up for the City’s Alert Center at www.victoriatx.gov/alertcenter.

City utility account holders will automatically receive Alert Center notifications using the contact information linked to their accounts. Account holders who need to update their contact information should contact the Utility Billing Office at 361-485-3400.