MEMPHIS, Tenn. — In the midst of a system-wide "Boil Water Advisory" for all MLGW customers, Memphis City Council is reportedly distributing water at several locations Saturday.
The council said they will be distributing this water starting at noon at the following sites:
Frayser-Raleigh Senior Center (3985 Egypt Central Road)
Bert Ferguson Community Center (8505 Trinity Road)
Hickory Hill Community Center (3910 Ridgeway Road)
Orange Mound Community Center (2572 Park Avenue)
MPLOY Lot (By Stadium) (315 South Hollywood Street)
Gaston Community Center (1048 South 3rd Street)
Ed Rice Community Center (2935 North Watkins Street)
The NAACP Memphis Branch also said they are giving out free water at their 588 Vance Avenue office at 1 p.m. and free food at 3 p.m. They said that volunteers are needed as well.
City council thanked Shelby County, EMA and MLGW for partnering with them through these efforts.
After affecting only some customers, Memphis Light, Gas and Water (MLGW) announced Friday that a Boil Water Advisory is now in effect for all its customers in the entire system. This as some customers have no running water, and those with water are being asked to conserve.
Thursday, the Boil Water Advisory affected about 15% of MLGW customers. Friday, that changed to all customers. People should boil water at least one minute before consuming.
When the Advisory was first issued Thursday, MLGW said there were no reports of any impact on water quality, but any time water pressure drops below 20 psi, a precautionary boil water advisory is required.
What does this mean? What should I do?
From MLGW: "Customers are asked to use bottled water for drinking and cooking, or to boil it before consuming.
Bring water to a rapid boil and boil for one minute, let water cool before pouring it into a clean, sanitized container with a tight lid. If you suspect you have lead service lines, let the water run for 15-20 seconds before boiling.
Boiled or bottled water should be used for drinking, making ice, brushing teeth, washing dishes, and food preparation until further notice. Boiling kills bacteria and other organisms in the water. Tap water is safe for bathing and showering but try to avoid getting it in your mouth."
What about the suburbs?
The Boil Water Advisory is only for MLGW customers. Many of the suburban cities have their own water system.
The city of Bartlett has its own water system as part of the Engineering Division. The department provides water service to the 20,000+ properties within the city.
While the City of Germantown has its own independent water system that is not connected to MLGW’s system, there are some small areas of Germantown that do receive water from MLGW. That includes Egerton Lane, Woffington Lane, Tamerlane Lane, Harrod Cove, Jermyn Cove, Crye Crest Cove, Cotton Boll Cove, Cotton Boll Road, Cotton Plant Road and May Woods Lane. To check to see if your home is under the precautionary boil water advisory, visit mlgw.com/boilwateralertmaps.
Collierville water customers are NOT included in this order; this includes homes, apartments, and businesses in the Town limits. The Town of Collierville has its own independent water system that is not connected to MLGW’s system.
Millington Water Dept. IS NOT under a precautionary boil water advisory. If you received a separate water bill from the City of Millington; you ARE NOT under a boil water advisory. Only residents who live in northwest Shelby County and receive a MLGW water bill are under the advisory.
Lakeland gets water from MLGW, so it IS included in the Advisory.
Arlington gets water from MLGW, so it IS included in the Advisory.
No running water for some customers
MLGW also said Friday some customers do not have running water. The utility said the following reasons may be why this is happening:
- Pressures have dropped too low because of leaks between the customer’s home and MLGW’s pumping station.
- MLGW secured a leaking water line to repair it.
- The customer’s home has a line that is frozen and water is not flowing.
Water conservation request
Before the winter storm hit, MLGW recommended customers get drinking water for each family member and fill a large container or tub with water to flush toilets and for cleaning. They said Friday this is the time to make use of that water.
"If we experience larger areas that lack water MLGW will coordinate with Shelby County’s Emergency Management Agency and the City of Memphis’ Office of Emergency Management to determine the need and coordinate a response," said the utility in a statement.
MLGW said crews are working to find and fix leaks in the system and restore normal water pressure to everyone.
This all comes comes after an announcement from MLGW early Thursday asking customers to immediately "avoid non-essential water use until further notice."
MLGW said Wednesday night there had been an increase in customer leaks and broken water mains as temperatures rise. In a notice Thursday, MLGW said demand increased over the past 24 hours, causing low pressure in some areas of the system.
"We understand that customers are dripping their faucets to prevent frozen pipes, but as temperatures rise above freezing between 1 and 5 p.m. today (Thursday), customers can stop dripping their faucets and start back when temps go below 32 degrees. This will help maintain water system pressure," said Thursday's news release.
MLGW said commercial and industrial customers who do not use water to produce goods or services should limit use to 75% of their typical usage.
MLGW said crews repaired 49 broken water mains since Saturday, and were working on 10 others as of Friday afternoon. MLGW said water production, treatment and pumping operations were at full capacity, but leaks downstream were affecting system pressures.
Commercial customers and property owners are asked to check their property for leaks, including irrigation systems.
Customers should turn off water at the street if leaks are detected. Any customer seeing water coming from the surface of the street or areas of pooling water should immediately report a suspected water main break to 528-4465.