Drinking water ran black in corrupt Texas city

Residents posted photos of black water flowing out of faucets in Crystal City, Tex.
Residents posted photos of black water flowing out of faucets in Crystal City, Tex.

NewsNine24.com, Desk: Residents report black drinking water in Texas city where nearly every city official is under federal investigation: ‘It looks like black sludge’.

Black water is running out of the faucets in a troubled Texas city whose mayor has been arrested twice in two weeks and the city council is rife with political corruption.

Residents of Crystal City, Tex., started posting photos of their dark drinking water Wednesday night, a day after Mayor Ricardo Lopez was arrested at a city council meeting for allegedly shoving a woman.

“It looks like black sludge,” said resident Nora Flores-Guerrero. “They were comparing it to oil — that dark,” she told local news network KSAT.

Officials said the dark water was caused by sediment from a water tank they drained and cleaned for the first time in at least 20 years.

Crystal City Mayor Ricardo Lopez was arrested Tuesday, Feb. 16. after allegedly shoving a woman — the mayor's second arrest in two weeks.
Crystal City Mayor Ricardo Lopez was arrested Tuesday, Feb. 16. after allegedly shoving a woman — the mayor’s second arrest in two weeks.

“We didn’t get a proper warning. They didn’t post anything or warn the residents. It was pretty scary,” Flores-Guerrero said.

Sadly, the sludge-water is not even at the top of Crystal City’s list of problems.

Nearly all of Crystal City’s top officials, including Lopez, were arrested Feb. 4 on federal bribery charges.

All but one member of the City Council are still under federal investigation for allegedly taking kickbacks from a local gambling ringleader, in exchange for city contracts directed toward his illicit businesses.