The University of Texas at Austin (UT) has released an external audit it conducted on Austin Water as a result of a trio of water boil notices the City of Austin has imposed in recent years, Austin-based media outlets reported.
According to Austin NBC affiliate KXAN, the report outlined 53 things the utility company must do to improve its operations.
Per KXAN, the audit revealed that Austin Water experienced major disruptions in the last half-decade because of five significant water quality events, which were the water boil notices themselves and zebra mussels issues.
The station reported that Austin City Council subsequently approved a resolution filed by Councilwoman Alison Alter that gave way to the report in light of the most recent water boil notice in February 2022.
Austin ABC affiliate KVUE reported that the Ullrich Water Treatment Plant was the audit’s primary focus.
Researchers determined that the facility, which was the source of the problems that brought forth the third and last boil notice, accounted for four of the five problems to befall Austin Water, according to the station.
KVUE reported that while Ullrich can handle day-to-day problems, it has staffing problems and low morale among its workforce.
KXAN reported that Austin Water completely or partially agreed with 49 out of the 53 recommendations and had begun working on about 20 of them as of Wednesday.
“While we have learned from these events and implemented enhancements to increase our resiliency, we welcome an outside perspective to help us evaluate where we can continue to improve,” Shay Ralls Roalson, the utility company’s head, said in a statement obtained by the station.