UPDATE, 7:27 P.M. TUESDAY: MLGW says 31 water main breaks have been repaired and crews are working on eight more. At least 42 sprinkler systems have been isolated and secured on private properties.
Water has been secured for 2,248 residential and commercial customers. Crews are working on securing another 200 Tuesday night.
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — The head of Memphis Light Gas & Water says he’s optimistic about the restoration of water service across the county and hopes the boil-water order will be lifted in a few days.
City leaders provided an update at noon Tuesday on restoring water service and water pressure throughout Shelby County.
Watch the full press conference in the player below.
Up to 15% of MLGW customers are without water or have lack of water pressure, Mayor Jim Strickland said. Much of this is because of broken fire protection mains inside buildings that go unnoticed because the buildings are vacant or not occupied over the holidays.
The city and the county health department is providing untreated water, not for drinking, to be used for “forced flushing” of toilets. Strickland said. That water will be given out beginning at 1 p.m. at the Hickory Hill Community Center.
The AutoZone Liberty Bowl will be played Wednesday, as planned. the mayor said.
► See yesterday’s water outage updates
The city has given out about 2,500 cases of drinking water, with the help of Shelby County and several local companies and organizations, MLGW President Doug McGowen said.
There is plenty of water in Memphis, but there is a “crisis in distribution,” he said. Thirty water mains broke during and after the freeze event, in addition to 42 fire protection systems.
But there is reason for optimism Tuesday, McGowen said. Most of the leaks have been located.
Memphians were asked to conserve water, and those efforts are helping, he said, thanking employers who allowed employees to work from home.
Most MLGW customers, excluding Bartlett, Collierville, Germantown and Millington, are still under a boil-water advisory due to low pressure in the water system. That low pressure is due to water line breaks in homes, under streets and in buildings as frozen water lines thaw and burst.
MLGW has not found any problems in water quality, McGowen said, but will need to test after the leaks are fixed. The order to boil the water is only precautionary.
McGowen would not commit to an exact number of days until the boil-water advisory was lifted.
Temperatures in the Memphis area plunged well below freezing last Thursday night and are just beginning to climb above the freezing mark.
MLGW is not disconnecting service Tuesday, citing a low wind chill.
Five libraries and eight community centers are closed Tuesday, city officials said.