A two-day “do not use” advisory occurred in early September after Texas officials said firefighting foam entered the Grand Prairie’s water supply from a backflow event during a warehouse fire.
When resident reports of “foamy water” arose, those living in the impacted area north of Interstate 20 were asked by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality not to use the local water supply for any reason other than flushing a toilet, even after boiling, following testing that revealed “slightly toxic” levels, the commission stated without elaboration.
Approximately 637,000 water bottles were handed out to Grand Prairie residents in need of clean water during the advisory.
During a September 4 statement in the middle of the water crisis, Grand Prairie Mayor Ron Jensen held a press conference to explain the situation.
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“We deduced, and are fairly certain, we had a backflow incident while treating and suppressing the fire with foam, which I want to say immediately is non-PFAS,” Jensen announced to residents. “We switched about a year-and-a-half ago to an environmentally-friendly foam.”
At the press conference, the local fire chief said the firefighting foam is non-toxic and biodegradable. Foam was utilized, he said, as the result of the warehouse being so tightly packed with supplies and boxes. The foam penetrates “hoarding” conditions, he said, and is rarely used. He also attributed the incident to the potential failure of a backflow valve, but the fire department is still investigating.
After two days of the water advisory, local officials said they would be able to avoid a boil water stage for all impacted residents if the water-flushing process was coordinated efficiently, and residents correctly followed the zone by zone instructions and timing for clearing the water in the supply.
Local officials said they received no calls from the public about illness or health issues during the advisory, which affected about 30% of the city’s 200,000 residents.
