![153673034_2875761435973941_2445079589641508962_o Boil Water Notice Lifted](https://commercetx.org/wp-content/uploads/153673034_2875761435973941_2445079589641508962_o-1024x686.jpg)
Water Update Feb 23rd at 8AM
The City of Commerce has now been able to maintain full system pressure for over 24 hours. We will be collecting water samples today and submitting them to a third-party laboratory for bacteriological testing. These tests take at least 24 hours to process, so if we turn in the samples today it is possible to get the results tomorrow. However, labs are currently being overrun with testing submissions due to the large number of communities that are all under boil water alerts.
Once we can confirm that the water passes all tests and standards, we will be able to lift the boil water notice. We are hopeful this will be tomorrow, but it could be as late as Thursday, depending on the ability of the lab to process the results.
We continue to ask customers to conserve water, but it is okay to wash clothes. You can wash dishes, but it is recommended that you boil the water first, let it cool, and then wash dishes.
We are honored to serve the community of Commerce, and our rural customers as well. We are working to improve our critical infrastructure to lower the risk of this occurrence again in the future. We were simply not ready for a State-wide winter storm event and the loss of the entire power grid. We will be better, and we will do better. Thank you for your patience and your understanding.
![Screenshot_20210222-070328_Chrome people clapping](https://commercetx.org/wp-content/uploads/Screenshot_20210222-070328_Chrome.jpg)
![Screenshot_20210221-193815_Chrome Water](https://commercetx.org/wp-content/uploads/Screenshot_20210221-193815_Chrome-1024x366.jpg)
![FB_IMG_1613928817614 Drive Through Water Pick Up | Commerce Police/Fire Dept | Sunday, February 21st | 10 AM to 4 PM | North on Park from Culver, turn left behind Commerce FD, just before Sycamore St | Bring your Commerce residence driver license](http://commercetx.org/wp-content/uploads/FB_IMG_1613928817614-770x1024.jpg)
Drive through service only. Please wear a mask as you come in contact with our staff.
![IMG_1613928004893 Non Potable Water Available for Pick Up | Commerce Fire Dept, 1103 Sycamore | 10 AM to 4PM, February 21st](https://commercetx.org/wp-content/uploads/IMG_1613928004893-768x1024.png)
![Screenshot_20210221-105605_Chrome water in cup](https://commercetx.org/wp-content/uploads/Screenshot_20210221-105605_Chrome.jpg)
![FB_IMG_1613829044919 Map of route to pick up water at TAMUC](https://commercetx.org/wp-content/uploads/FB_IMG_1613829044919-1024x1002.jpg)
![Screenshot_20210220-074954_Facebook Map of route through Commerce Fire and Police departments.](https://commercetx.org/wp-content/uploads/Screenshot_20210220-074954_Facebook-1024x984.jpg)
![Textonphoto20210219_154532 Non Potable Water | available for pickup | at Commerce Fire Department, 1103 Sycamore | 4:00 to 8:00 PM | Drive-Through ONLY | limit of 1 container per family | *Please bring a container if you have one*](http://commercetx.org/wp-content/uploads/Textonphoto20210219_154532-768x1024.jpg)
![Textonphoto20210219_155648 Bottled water available | pick up via drive through only | Commerce Fire Dept | 1103 Sycamore | Friday, February 19th | 4 to 8 PM](http://commercetx.org/wp-content/uploads/Textonphoto20210219_155648-e1613775605949-1024x586.png)
The CDC recommends the following:
Standard recommendations usually include this advice:
Handwashing
Brushing teeth
Washing dishes
To wash dishes by hand:
Laundry
Cleaning
Caring for pets
Caring for your garden and houseplants
![Screenshot_20210218-153627_Facebook Pot of boiling water](https://commercetx.org/wp-content/uploads/Screenshot_20210218-153627_Facebook.jpg)
HUGE Thank you to UPD and their dispatch for letting us house with them. We are so grateful for the partnership between the University and City.
![Textonphoto20210218_161308 Texas Police | To protect and serve | 903.886.1139](https://commercetx.org/wp-content/uploads/Textonphoto20210218_161308-e1613689579408-1024x1007.jpg)
![Screenshot_20210217-101845_Chrome Sink](https://commercetx.org/wp-content/uploads/Screenshot_20210217-101845_Chrome.jpg)
ONCOR: EMERGENCY UPDATE
For additional information, contact: Oncor Communications 877.426.1616 DALLAS (Feb. 17, 2021)
There continues to be a lack of available generation, and as a result, controlled outages remain in place as directed by ERCOT. Due to lowered power demand overnight, Oncor and other utilities were able to restore some of the previously dropped power load and increase our capability to rotate some outages throughout the territory. Even with this increased capability, we still have many customers who continue to experience extended outages. We continue to strive toward providing any temporary relief that we can for those who have been without power the longest as soon as enough generation is available. However, as we saw yesterday, low temperatures of the early morning and increased power demand may result in direction from ERCOT to once again reduce additional load. We will continue to take their direction as we focus on ensuring the integrity of the electric grid.
The second winter storm is also continuing to move through our service territory, potentially resulting in multiple inches of snow, significant ice and sleet accumulation. While weather impacts are ongoing, personnel and out of state mutual assistance contractors were staged across the territory before the storm and are now actively engaged in restoration efforts. These personnel are well experienced in working in extreme weather conditions and will be working around the clock to assess damages, clear debris and repair damaged equipment.
FAQ’s
Q: Why is my power out?
Customers have power outages for two primary reasons: First, controlled power outages in response to the shortage of generation. Oncor does not generate electricity or control or operate generation facilities – we deliver it. As a result of this generation shortage, ERCOT, which oversees the Texas electric grid, has directed transmission and distribution companies like Oncor to reduce load on the electrical grid through controlled outages.
These controlled outages were intended to roll throughout the service territory, but the high amount of load dropped from the grid prevented us and other utilities from performing regular rotations, leading to extended periods without power for many of our customers. We continue to strive toward providing any temporary relief that we can for those who have been without power the longest as soon as enough generation is available.
Additionally, the second winter storm is also continuing to move through our service territory, potentially resulting in multiple inches of snow, significant ice and sleet accumulation. Personnel and out of state mutual assistance contractors are actively engaged in restoration efforts.
How does Oncor decide who is affected by controlled or rotating outages?
The location of controlled, or rotating, outages depends on a variety of load factors, including the amount ERCOT has directed us to drop and the amount available to be safely disconnected. These types of outages primarily occur in residential neighborhoods and commercial areas. We also strive to avoid dropping hospitals and other critical loads and infrastructure.
Typically, Oncor’s emergency operation plans spread these outages across the service territory on a rotating basis. Due to this unique widespread power emergency however, ERCOT has directed Oncor to drop a record amount of load over a much longer period of time. Therefore, we have had to drop all available, non-critical load and regular rotations have often been prevented. These outages are absolutely critical for ensuring the integrity of the grid and preventing cascading impacts such as a blackout. We will continue to rotate outages where possible and aim to provide any temporary relief that we can for those who have been without power the longest as soon as enough generation is available.
Q: Why are some homes out for hours and others not at all?
Controlled outages can affect customers differently based on the load reduction required by ERCOT. For example, customers near critical facilities, or those in limited areas where rolling outages cannot take place to maintain grid stability, may not experience outages, while those farther from these facilities or areas may experience multiple outages for longer periods of time.
Additionally, in case there are instances of substantial generation drop, safeguards are built into our system that drop customer loads automatically to prevent cascading widespread outages, or ultimately a blackout. These are designed to be short term drops that are reset quicker than controlled outages to prepare for the next response opportunity. As these limited areas must be energized in order to provide this grid protection, it could affect you but not your neighbor. Keeping these limited areas energized also helps stabilize the system, so when controlled outages are done, we can more easily get everything reconnected and turned back on. These are diverse geographical areas across the grid, based solely on the mathematic and engineering needs of the electric system.
Lastly, while these controlled outages were intended to roll throughout the service territory, the high amount of load dropped from the grid prevented us and other utilities from performing regular rotations, leading to extended periods without power for many of our customers. We continue to strive toward providing any temporary relief that we can for those who have been without power the longest as soon as enough generation is available.
Outages due to storm damage also affect different customers in different ways. A downed power line might affect your home but again, not your neighbor.
Q: When will my power be restored?
For controlled outages: ERCOT has been unable to predict when more generation will be available and when there will be enough electric supply to meet customer demand. We are doing all we can to ensure Oncor will be prepared to safely deliver electricity to our customers as soon as ERCOT allows.
For winter storm damage: Our crews and out of state mutual assistance contractors are now actively engaged in restoration efforts. Continued winter impacts such as extreme cold, treacherous road conditions and ice buildup may impact progress. However, these personnel are well experienced in working in extreme weather conditions and will be working around the clock to assess damages, clear debris and repair damaged equipment. Even then, power from ERCOT must be available for us to reenergize your home or business.
The bottom line: Because ERCOT cannot yet tell us when power will be available, we continue asking all Oncor customers to be prepared to be without power for an extended period of time.
Q: When will power generation plants come back on-line?
Oncor does not own or operate generation facilities. The current cold weather has caused many of these generators to shut down and ERCOT has not told us when to expect them back on-line. We continue to strive toward providing any temporary relief that we can for those who have been without power the longest as soon as enough generation is available.
***
Headquartered in Dallas, Oncor Electric Delivery Company LLC is a regulated electricity distribution and transmission business that uses superior asset management skills to provide reliable electricity delivery to consumers. Oncor (together with its subsidiaries) operates the largest distribution and transmission system in Texas, delivering power to more than 3.7 million homes and businesses and operating more than 139,000 miles of transmission and distribution lines in Texas. While Oncor is owned by two investors (indirect majority owner, Sempra Energy, and minority owner, Texas Transmission Investment LLC), Oncor is managed by its Board of Directors, which is comprised of a majority of disinterested directors.
![Screenshot_20210215-200838_Chrome Commerce Methodist Church](https://commercetx.org/wp-content/uploads/Screenshot_20210215-200838_Chrome-1024x485.jpg)
We will provide further updates as they become available.
![Screenshot_20210216-075153_Chrome water](https://commercetx.org/wp-content/uploads/Screenshot_20210216-075153_Chrome.jpg)
Atmos Energy Fev 16th Press Release stresses an “Urgent Need to Conserve Energy.”
✔ refrain from using large appliances
![Screenshot_20210216-173602_Hancom Office Editor Atmos energy press release](https://commercetx.org/wp-content/uploads/Screenshot_20210216-173602_Hancom-Office-Editor-795x1024.jpg)
![Screenshot_20210216-173443_Gallery](http://commercetx.org/wp-content/uploads/Screenshot_20210216-173443_Gallery-1024x986.jpg)
Thank you for your patience and understanding as we make it through this historic winter weather event together.
![IMG_1613536097543 Water Update](https://commercetx.org/wp-content/uploads/IMG_1613536097543-1015x1024.png)
![FB_IMG_1613573840189 Conserve Energy During Cold Temperatures](http://commercetx.org/wp-content/uploads/FB_IMG_1613573840189-970x1024.jpg)
For more information on energy conservation, visit thewire.oncor.com
![DISASTER ORDINANCE 2021 -04 | CITY OF COMMERCE, TEXAS MAYORAL DECLARATION OF LOCAL STATE OF DISASTER DUE TO SEVERE WINTER WEATHER | WHEREAS, severe winter weather was predicted to occur between February 13, 2021 and February 19, 2021, by the National Weather Service as a Winter Storm Warning for Hunt County, to include Commerce, and WHEREAS, temperatures are now well below freezing, with several inches of snow and ice accumulation, making road conditions extremely hazardous for the public, endangering the health, safety, and welfare of Commerce residents; and WHEREAS, the effects of the winter weather storm require assistance for stranded motorists, isolated citizens, medical emergencies, downed trees, road debris, and power outages, that may surpass the capabilities of the City of Commerce to respond to and recover from its effects, thus requiring state assistance, and WHEREAS, on February 12, 2021, Texas Governor, Greg Abbott, declared a State of Disaster in all 254 counties, to include Hunt County and the City of Commerce, Texas; | NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT PROCLAIMED BY THE MAYOR OF COMMERCE: By virtue of the authority vested in me by the City Charter, as the presiding officer of the governing body and under Texas Government Code, Section 418.08, I hereby declare a local state of disaster within the City of Commerce. Pursuant to $418. 108(b) of the Texas Government Code, the state of disaster shall continue for a period of not more than seven days from the date of this declaration unless continued or renewed by the Commerce City Council. Pursuant to $418.108( c) of the Texas Government Code, this declaration of a local state of disaster shall be given prompt and general publicity and shall be filed promptly with the City Secretary. Pursuant to $418.108( d) of the Texas Government Code, this declaration of a local state of disaster activates all other Charter, statutory, and ordinance powers vested in me and all officers of the City of Commerce to act in this local state of disaster. This declaration activates the recovery and rehabilitation aspects of all applicable local or inter-jurisdictional emergency management plans and authorizes the furnishing of all aid and assistance as deemed necessary or desirable by those administering such plans. Pursuant to Health and Safety Code Section 122.006, the City may adopt rules, including quarantine rules, to protect the health of persons in the City, and provide for the establishment of quarantine stations, emergency hospitals, and other hospitals. DECLARED this 16th day of February 2021. Mayor, City of Commerce](https://commercetx.org/wp-content/uploads/DISASTER-pdf-791x1024.jpg)