The City of Ponder released a 102-page "water quality concerns report" on Monday that showed the city is in compliance with federal water standards but still does not know what could be causing skin irritation for some residents.
Ponder residents reported that their skin became irritated when exposed to tap water last fall.
“We feel like we’ve done all we can do to try and pin point what could be causing an issue like that,” Gary Morris, Ponder's Public Works Director said.
Despite finding no contaminants outside federal standards, the report authored by Byron R. Hardin, of Hardin & Associates recommended the city increase testing and purchase an electronic monitoring system city officials say costs over one-hundred thousand dollars.
“We may have to raise some rates a little bit to pay for some of these recommendations,” Morris said.
But the report did little to answer the questions that residents like Seraluna Sanchez have. Sanchez says she and her three kids continue to have skin irritation after exposure to the water.
“I just want to know what is causing breakouts among people in town,” Sanchez said.
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Sanchez says she and others who have been experiencing irritation are working with researches from the University of Texas-Arlington, with those tests results due back in the next few weeks.
