MEMPHIS, Tenn. (WREG) — The Liberty Bowl is expected to bring 60,000 fans to the Memphis area, which means 60,000 more people will need access to water that we don’t currently have.
MLGW president Doug McGowen spoke about the situation Monday.
“We were made aware of that early this morning that there was a no-water situation at the Liberty Bowl,” he said.
As many parts of the city are hit with a boil water notice due to last week’s storm, McGowen said Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium has its own set of challenges.
“They also had some breaks there, they had a couple of sprinklers break and they had to secure their internal water but we know around there, there’s either low water pressure or no water pressure,” he said.
McGowen said they are working tirelessly to restore water to the stadium and the rest of the city as quickly as possible.
Meanwhile, businesses nearby, like Max’s Sports Bar, are bracing for the crowds.
“We’re not huge but we do get packed in here and it gets a little nuts sometimes,” said Bjarni Rozen with Max’s Sports Bar.
Rozen said the Liberty Bowl is usually great for business but running a restaurant with no access to clean water is concerning.
“I have to use plastic, I can’t wash any dishes. Also, I have to get ice, I can’t use my ice maker. And then I have to use canned sodas and soda water and tonic water,” he said.
He said they’re used to adapting to challenges and this will be no different.
“We survived the pandemic, this is nothing compared to what the pandemic tried to do to us,” Rozen said.