48 THE COASTAL BEND MAGAZINE • Late Spring 2019 TheCoastalBend.com Remember those lines from that Seinfeld episode where Kramer just starts showing up at a random busi- ness office until he’s given a desk and assigned work? In a way, it’s hard to tell the difference between Mark Van Vleck and Kramer in this context—the problem is that the boss (or bosses) at the City of Corpus Christi seem just as clueless as the pretend-water-profession- al, unlike the boss in the Seinfeld scene who caught on that Kramer was just making it up. Has anyone in pow- er gotten the hint that Mark Van Vleck is not a water systems expert? Oh, heck no! Not at the City of Corpus Christi. In fact, even after the first two water disasters and more than one incoherent and inaccurate report on their causes, he was allowed to continue in his position of Utilities Director. Low chlorine levels began to again be discovered in the first week of March 2016, this time at three loca- tions in the downtown area and on North Beach. Noth- ing was done on a city-wide level, but flushing and in- creased chlorine were implemented locally. On May 6 bacteria was found in a sample on Egyptian Drive, and on Elvis Drive May 12—the next day a city-wide water boil order was issued, this one lasting 13 days until May 25. In the middle of the water boil period, City Manager Ron Olson resigned, taking full blame for the debacle at the water department. On December 14th a trace amount of a toxic as- phalt emulsifier was thought to have entered the City water system at a Valero refinery construction site. The next day, the City issued its most drastic public notice ever, the total ban on use of tap water for any purpose, including bathing, clothes washing, or pets, in addition to human consumption. Valero and Ergon Asphalt were fully blamed for the mess and were even sued by local restaurant owners. According to our internal source, none of it was necessary. They say that procedures well-known to TCEQ Certified Water System Operators, and covered thoroughly in their educational curricu- lum, could and should have been applied on-site and would have prevented the need for a usage ban—in fact, it could have been handled safely and quietly by an ex- perienced, professional operator. Rather than being replaced or reassigned, upon the filling of the Water Utilities Executive Director position with its first occupant, Mr. Wittwer, Mark Van Vleck, who had overseen a water department that was such a historic disaster that City government had to be reorga- nized, was promoted to Assistant City Manager—with authority over the utilities department, of course. With even greater power in hand, the fun and adventure at the water department has taken a different turn but is just as entertaining! Van Vleck spearheaded a plan to completely re- invent the City’s wastewater system. A study that cost over $1 million confirmed that it was a horrible idea that was risky, inefficient and illogical from an engi- neering standpoint, according to an internal source. Road construction that has inconvenienced just about all of us at one time or another, on South Alameda from The Faces of Corpus Christi’s Water Woes—Clockwise from Top/Left former City Managers Ron Olson and Margie Rose, current Water Utilities Executive Director Dan Grimsbo, former Mayor Nelda Martinez, current As- sistant City Manager Mark Van Vleck, former Mayor Dan McQueen.