UPDATE, 8:22 P.M. MONDAY: MLGW says they have repaired 20 water main breaks and are working on seven more. They have also secured water for 461 residential and commercial customers.
UPDATE, NOON MONDAY: MLGW CEO Doug McGowen said the utility has addressed 22 water main breaks that are causing low water pressure across the city, and have fixed 19 of them.
Another big problem is fire main breaks. McGowen warns as temperatures heat up they expect more breaks. This is an “all hands on deck effort.” Crews normally designated to electrical and gas have been working on water issues.
They have also turned off 177 leaks since Sunday night, though there are more than 100 that still need to be fixed. Crews are working in single-digit temperatures, McGowen said.
McGowen says since last year there have been significant infrastructure upgrades that are actually helping them respond during all these water pressure issues.
Once those leaks in the system are addressed, the water pressure should rise to normal levels. A precautionary boil water advisory remains in effect for most of Shelby County.
McGowen says he will know better later Monday when the boil water advisory will be lifted as well as when all the fixes will be made. He says the whole process could take a few days.
MLGW says you do not have to drip your faucet right now since it will get above freezing Monday. If the temperature drops below freezing again they ask you to start again.
Power has been restored from this weekend’s rolling blackouts, he said. The Tennessee Valley Authority power grid is now stable.
Watch the full press conference in the player below.
UPDATE 8:30 A.M. MONDAY: Germantown, Bartlett, Collierville and Millington are excluded from the boil water advisory, according to MLGW.
UPDATE 6:00 P.M.: MLGW president, Doug McGowen, issued the following statement regarding recent water outages.
“We have identified a large number of commercial businesses with fire protection system leaks or breaks – 15 so far today.
Finally, our wells and pumping stations significantly increased pressure for most of the day today, pushing out nearly twice the normal volume of water as a temporary measure to get some water through to our customers while we were fixing the main breaks in our system, and securing water for customers with very large leaks. This evening we will have to scale back that increased volume and pressure to refill our reservoirs overnight.”
MLGW says it will take another day or two for them to correct all of these issues.
UPDATE: MLGW says they need help working to restore low-pressure/water outages.
They urge you to call their 24-hour Emergency number, 528-4465, if you see water coming out of the ground or running out of homes or businesses.
MLGW says they will not be able to increase pressure or retain water service until they get these leaks under control.
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MEMPHIS, Tenn. — MLGW has released a statement regarding recent water outages throughout the city.
On Saturday, MLGW issued a boil water advisory for Southeast and North Shelby County after they experienced low water pressure and water outages.
According to MLGW, a growing number of water main breaks caused low water pressure in other areas.
In a statement, MLGW said that they are taking the following actions:
- We have increased output at our pumping stations to try and build and maintain pressure.
- Crews are repairing known water main breaks. At present, there are five known main breaks.
- Other crews are working to detect breaks in water mains or along the distribution system.
- Asking commercial property owners of unoccupied property to check their property for leaks.
MLGW stated that they do not have an estimated time of restoration for low water pressure or to restore every outage.
As they repair mains and identify other leaks, they will provide an update with restoration
times.
MLGW still advises customers in those areas to take precaution with their water.
This means customers should not drink water without first boiling it for three minutes, should cut back on their water usage and use bottled water for brushing teeth, washing dishes or preparing food.
