06/04/2026
24 gallons of chemicals.
One backflow incident.
More than 300,000 Texans told not to use their tap water.
December 2016. Corpus Christi, Texas.
A backflow contamination incident at an industrial facility led to a citywide "Do Not Use" water advisory affecting more than 300,000 residents. Residents were instructed not to drink, cook with, bathe in, or use tap water while officials investigated and flushed the system.
The incident involved an asphalt-emulsion chemical mixture that was believed to have entered the public water system through a backflow event.
Events like this demonstrate why backflow prevention and cross-connection control are so important. Properly installed and regularly tested backflow prevention assemblies help protect drinking water systems from contamination.
If your property has an irrigation system, swimming pool, boiler system, chemical feed equipment, or other potential cross-connections, you may be required to have a backflow prevention assembly installed and tested by a licensed professional.
Contact us to learn what your property may require and help protect our community's drinking water.
Learn more about the December 2016 Corpus Christi water contamination incident in official reports from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ):
https://www.tceq.texas.gov/assets/public/response/Final-Backflow-Incident-R14-City-of-Corpus-Christi-Notification-Water-Sector-Impact.pdf