GRAND PRAIRIE, Texas — The City of Grand Prairie on Wednesday morning remained under a "do not use water" advisory for residents who live north of Interstate 20.
The advisory, which urged residents to avoid using tap water for any reason other than flushing toilets, was issued Tuesday night after officials detected a "foaming agent" in the city's water supply.
Fire foam from crews fighting an industrial fire in Grand Prairie somehow ended up in city water supply, leading to the advisory issued for thousands of residents Tuesday night, a government official told WFAA.
More information about the fire and how the foam, which is typically used to fight industrial-type fires, ended up in the water supply was not immediately available.
City officials were expected to provide an update later Wednesday.
But what is a foaming agent? And how can it affect a large water supply like what we're seeing in Grand Prairie?
Generally, we know foaming agents can cause water to create a foam when it mixes with air, according to KnowYourH2O water research.
KnowYourH2O on its website said foaming agents, also known as surfactants, "may be considered like 'detergents' in the water that cause a foam to be created."
"These agents can be found in household detergents, consumer products, domestic sewage, pesticides, drilling fluids, and some industrial discharges," the research group says.
So, what problems does that present?
Foaming agents can create a bitter, oily and fishy taste in water, and the water could also appear cloudy. In high dosages, foaming agents can cause gastrointestinal problems.
In Grand Prairie, officials said drinking the tap water in the affected area "could result in illness," but more details weren't released. In the meantime, city officials urged residents to not treat the water themselves by boiling, freezing, filtering it or adding chlorine or other disinfectants.
Doing so "will not make the water safe," officials said.
More coverage from Grand Prairie on Wednesday morning: