For weeks now, the North Texas Municipal Water District -- which provides water to more than a dozen cities in the greater DFW area -- has been caught in the middle of a firestorm.
It began when residents from across its service area, primarily in Collin County, began complaining that the water from their taps had a strong chlorine odor and taste. Some even claimed it was causing rashes to appear on their skin.
That influx of calls and concerns prompted many to raise questions about the safety of the district's water.
It even caught the attention of celebrity environmental activist Erin Brockovich, who suggested the water contained potentially dangerous levels of disinfection byproducts.
The district has maintained throughout that its water is safe and meets or exceeds all state and federal water quality regulations.
As for the chlorine taste and odor, district officials said it's a temporary after-effect of routine chlorine maintenance they perform on their system, designed to improve water safety as it moves through pipes. They insist chlorine levels were well within regulations during that process.
Thursday, they invited members of a community group called Safer Water North Texas to join them at their water treatment plant in Wylie for a tour and discussion.
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"This is a great opportunity for us," said Tom Kula, Executive Director of the North Texas Municipal Water District. "We really care about we do everyday. We're very proud of what we do to provide high quality, safe drinking water to so many. We don't take that responsibility lightly...and we're going to provide those answers."
District leaders and a panel of outside water experts they brought in provided the group with a detailed explanation of how the district treats and disinfects water.
There was a placeholder at the table for Brockovich, who is visiting North Texas this week. However, she did not attend.
A water treatment expert named Robert Bowcock, who works very closely with her, was there.
After seeing the presentation, he commended the district for its water treatment process. But he was highly critical of its efforts in another area, which he believes is responsible for the community uproar.
"I don't think this is a question of right or wrong," said Bowcock. "I think this is a question of a huge communication breakdown."
He argued the district did not adequately prepare or inform its cities about the chlorine maintenance process, so they in turn could adequately prepare for and inform their citizens about it.
He added that consumers have become more sophisticated -- so when they raise concerns and the district's only response is that the water meets all regulations, it creates trust issues.
"In 2018, that is absolutely meaningless," said Bowcock. "Consumers aren't buying it anymore."
Kula conceded that "maybe we didn't do it quickly enough" -- but sought to reassure the group and the public that the district's mission is to provide high quality, safe water.
"We're here today and we're trying to provide the answers," said Kula. "We really do care. Your concerns are our concerns."
