KEMPNER, Texas (KWTX) – The Kempner City Council held a meeting Tuesday evening to address recurring water problems.

Two state representatives also attended to participate in the discussion.

Kempner Water Supply Corporation General Manager Bruce Sorenson was personally invited by the mayor but still attended.

With no room left inside, people waited outside Kempner City Hall and listened to the meeting over a loudspeaker, showing how desperate residents are for better drinking water.

“We lost a dog because of the Kempner water,” says a local resident.

Another saying went: “I have a six-year-old grandson. How should I bathe him?”

In addition to the city council and residents, two state representatives, Brad Buckley and David Spiller, also attended the meeting.

In his opening remarks, Spiller clarified that the Kempner Water Supply Corporation is a nonprofit corporation and is not controlled by the city.

For this reason, it was of utmost importance to them to initiate a community dialogue in order to work together to solve the problems.

“They are doing their best. And if at all, it is only so that we can work on solutions to the problem today,” says Spiller.

No resolution was reached during the meeting, as solutions will take time to develop, but city and state representatives were able to put their questions and concerns in writing to provide a starting point for addressing these issues.

On August 12, the mayor sent a letter to Sorenson inviting him to attend the meeting and participate in the discussions. However, Sorenson was not present at the meeting. In a phone call with KWTX, Sorenson said the water issues are not the city’s responsibility.

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