Explaining what 'turbidity' is, and why it caused a citywide boil water notice

Explaining the issue behind Austin's boil water notice

The official cause of the problem was something called "turbidity." But what does that mean?

AUSTIN, Texas - After Austin was placed under a boil water notice for several days, many are wondering one simple thing… why?

Austin Water Director Greg Meszaros said in a press conference that the cause was a turbidity spike. "Turbidity" is not a household word, so what is it exactly, and why would it cause a citywide boil water notice?

FOX 7's Carlo Falco spoke with Keisuke Ikehata, Assistant Professor of Civil Engineering at Texas State University to further understand turbidity.

"Turbidity is actually an indication of the presence of particulate matter, or some small, small particles" Ikehata said.

In other words, it's simply a measurement of how cloudy the water is. The measure of turbidity, or cloudiness, indicates the amount of suspended solids in the water. So, a higher measure of turbidity means more particles, and potentially bacteria or microorganisms.

"Once that city fixes the problem at the treatment plant, then your water should be okay to drink," Ikehata said.

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