Marlin seeks permanent water treatment solutions after disaster declaration
MARLIN, Texas (KWTX) — The city of Marlin is searching for permanent solutions to fix its water treatment plant after recently going days without water and requiring a local disaster declaration from Governor Greg Abbott.
City Manager Jason Creacy said the city has been working around the clock to ensure all residents have running water without issues. However, setbacks continue to plague the system.
“Yesterday we’ve had some setbacks, we had three major leaks in town. Basically, it took us back a day, but we’re still pumping water, we’re still trying to fill these storage tanks,” Creacy said.
Plant operating at reduced capacity
The water treatment plant has faced constant issues since one of its two filter units failed in 2021. Creacy said the plant was designed to pump around 5 million gallons of water daily, but with only one working filter unit, it now produces about 20 percent of that capacity.
The working filter unit contains 54 filter membranes, but they are all clogged. Creacy said the city’s limited water production slows the recovery rate compared to other municipalities.
“Since we’re hindered to 18-20 percent of our production, that’s why it takes so long to recover from these leaks,” he said.
New manager brings experience
Creacy, the former manager for Texas Department of Criminal Justice, became Marlin’s city manager to help address the water issues. He said his familiarity with the city’s problems motivated him to take the position.
“I could help the inmates in the town of Marlin and the two prisons here, but I can’t help the citizens and that kept me up at night,” Creacy said.
Proposed solutions
The Texas Commission of Environmental Quality approved the city to build a sand filtration system, which works by passing water through layers of sand and does not require electricity to operate.
Creacy has also contacted a vendor about renting a portable water treatment plant to double production. The rental would cost approximately $100,000 monthly.
“The mobile plant, that’s just a percentage gain. That’s what I want to do, I want to get another production plant alongside our plant now to reduce another 1,000 gallons of water a minute,” he said.
Creacy acknowledged residents’ frustrations and said he is committed to finding solutions.
“I’m going to work day and night to get their water back on. I want this to made into distant memories. I’m not just here to tell everyone something to make them feel good, there’s going to be some tough times. Every process has some tough times in the middle of it, so lets just get through the process and we’ll come out on the other side,” he said.
The city is working on funding for the portable water treatment plant. City leaders said the first phase of the sand filtration system should be finished by the end of this year and the second phase by the middle of 2027.
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