It is also recommended for users to boil the water before consuming it for safety purposes until further notice.
At an emergency meeting held on Monday, the Maverick County Water Board discussed measures which have been taken and options open for them to take with respect to the disaster.
Board member Xavier Mancha discussed their plans to formally request aid in the very near future from several State agencies, which was met with approval, however Chairman Travis Kelly intervened stating that although he was in favor of such requests, the Board needs to move forward now with all efforts to reconstruct and try to get the canal functioning again as before.
"We cannot wait for funding, we need to go ahead and repair it, fix it with concrete and get water to our customers," stated Kelly, "We asked the County to get a grant to pay for engineering, but this board needs to make up its mind today to get it repaired for our livestock and agriculture."
Cynthia Martinez of the MCWP said that the first stage of repairs to the canal is nearly complete, "Base work is done and platforms need to be drilled."
According to the men in charge, this phase of the repairs should be complete within the week.
Board member Abdalla Moses inquired as to the existing material available, "Do we have enough material to complete the project and is it close enough to the reparation site?"
This prompted a question from legal counsel Crawford Rhodes who posed the question of whether or not the concrete work could be done by MCWP employees or whether it had to be outsourced.
The suggestion came from Kelly and Mancha to look into concrete slabs as opposed to having to pour the concrete and have to wait until it cures.
Rhodes and other board members suggested they contact the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality to circumvent the bidding process in order to expedite the repairs.
Several concerns were voiced at the assembly including the fact that people are fishing in the area and Martinez reiterated firmly that no fishing will be allowed on District property whatsoever.
Chairman Kelly also made mention to the fact that media outlets have been highlighting the fact that State Representative Pete Gallego was instrumental in the prompt response from the aforementioned companies in assisting them with emergency measures in this disaster.  He also wanted to inform us that State Representative Tracy King also assisted by contacting the corps of Engineers and the Water Quality Board as well and has been in contact with them throughout the week.