City: Recovery from water issues 'will come in stages' as Memphis thaws out

The Arctic cold snap that dropped temperatures below freezing for five consecutive days also caused broken water mains and frozen pipes.

Memphis Light, Gas and Water has issued a boil water advisory for much of the city and said, as of Monday night, it had fixed 20 water main breaks and were working on seven more. The breaks caused residents and businesses to have low water pressure. MLGW asked businesses to allow employees to work from home Tuesday to lessen the strain on the water system.

The boil water advisory remained in place Tuesday morning.

The utility said with temperatures expected to warm as the week goes on, more water main breaks could surface and customers have been asked to limit water use until further notice.

Here's what we know about the water crisis on Tuesday:

City gives an update

Mayor Jim Strickland said roughly 15% of MLGW customers are without water service due to pressure issues. MLGW has about 257,500 water consumers, meaning about 38,625 consumers have either no water pressure or very low pressure.

“A massive increase in water usage…can negatively alter water pressure in the area of the leaks," Strickland said Tuesday during a press conference.

And, despite the water issues, the AutoZone Liberty Bowl, scheduled for Wednesday between Arkansas and Kansas, is still scheduled to be played, Strickland said.

The Memphis Grizzlies game Tuesday will be played, but a determination is slated for the afternoon as to whether or not fans will be allowed inside the FedExForum.

MLGW CEO Doug McGowen said areas without water are starting to get water, while others with low pressure are getting more pressure as MLGW repairs mains. Twenty crews are ready to hop on any main breaks identified, he said.

“While there is room for optimism today…this recovery will not happen all at once. Some areas will enjoy full water pressure earlier. Recovery will come in stages and in various areas of the city,” McGowen said.

Possible impact on MLGW bills

McGowen told reporters Tuesday he did not believe dripping faucets to avoid frozen pipes would have a "material impact" on MLGW consumers' bills.

"The bill shouldn't have a significant change because of the reduced water pressure or reduced voluntary water use," he said. "I understand the question certainly with the respect to gas and electric. You are only charged for what you are using and, to the extent that you didn't use or conserve those, your bills should or should not be affected."

Because temperatures and wind chill factors are expected to remain below freezing for more than four hours over the next day, MLGW said it will not be disconnecting residential services on Tuesday. MLGW said it is taking only emergency calls for now.

Requests to start, stop or transfer service can be managed online at the utility's website here.

Working on repairs

McGowen on Monday it could be four to five days before the boil water advisory is lifted and water pressure returns to normal. Tuesday afternoon, he added that MLGW has identified at least 30 water main breaks, with 26 of those being fixed already and four being worked on.

"Over history, the way this has typically happened is once you have found and fixed all the leaks, it takes a couple of days for the system to stabilize and for all those water mains to be filled and the pressure to be stable," McGowen said Tuesday. "That also may not happen all over, all at once. As the system reaches normal pressures and as it stabilizes and we test, we can bring certain areas on early and other areas on as we fix."

MLGW has also helped cutoff 177 leaks at businesses and home. MLGW is working on cutting off another 122 leaks since Sunday night. Water tankers have also been provided to local hospitals.

"I have 20 crews ready to hop on any water main break that we have," McGowen said. "We have plenty of resources to make sure that we get on those quickly to avoid any loss of pressure."

Warming weather in the forecast

The National Weather Service in Memphis said cloudy and cold weather is expected across the Mid-South again Tuesday with temperatures in the 30s and lower 40s. Forecasters said the sun may peek out in the afternoon and no precipitation is expected.

The weather service said temperatures are expected to drop into the 20s again Tuesday night and Wednesday morning but jump into the 50s by Wednesday afternoon.

Memphis Police Department will respond to crashes now

With temperatures rising, and road conditions becoming less icy, the Memphis Police Department's inclement weather policy is over. MPD will now respond to motor vehicle crashes after multiple days of not responding.

Water conservation

Residents were being asked to conserve water and limit water usage by not allowing water to run and using it only when necessary while shaving, showering or washing dishes.

Memphis residents are also being asked by MLGW to sweep, not hose off, driveways and sidewalks. The utility says businesses should reduce water usage by 75 percent unless water is needed to produce goods or services.

Free bottled water

With the city under a boil water advisory and customers being asked to conserve water, multiple organizations were giving out free bottled water to people in need.

The giveaways were taking place in multiple parts of the city. The list of places giving water away - and some taking donations - can be found here and will be updated as more information is available.

Memphis officials said TVA is sending trucks of water to Memphis. Shelby County Office of Emergency Management, Reeves Law Firm, Amazon and more all helping donate water.

City closures

Five Memphis Public Library locations will be closed Tuesday. Those located at Whitehaven, Poplar-White Station, Randolph, Bartlett and East Shelby have each shuttered their doors for the day.

Eight community centers — Bert Ferguson, Bethel Labelle, Davis, Ed Rice, Mitchell, Orange Mound and Hickory Hill — along with all aquatic centers are closed Tuesday. The Wolbrecht and Frayser Tennis Courts and Orange Mound Senior Center are also closed.

Memphis Public Links Golf Courses are slated to reopen Wednesday.

Low water pressure at the Shelby County Criminal Justice Center, located at 201 Poplar, has also spurred the courts to shut down Tuesday.

Warming centers will close Wednesday morning with temperatures on the rise.

Jail water

The Shelby County Sheriff's Office said the city's problems with water pressure aren't causing major issues at the main jail at 201 Poplar.

In a Facebook post, the sheriff's office said the jail has running water, albeit with lower pressure than normal. Jail personnel are adding water to the commodes on a couple of the upper floors. The kitchen staff at the jail is boiling water in 100-gallon drums for cooking and clean drinking water for the detainees, the sheriff's office said.

After cooling, water kegs are filled and dispersed to each housing unit, the sheriff's office said. Pallets of bottled water have also been provided to the jail for use. Sheriff Floyd Bonner, Jr. also ordered a water truck on standby, if needed.

Lucas Finton is a news reporter with The Commercial Appeal. He can be reached at Lucas.Finton@commercialappeal.com and followed on Twitter @LucasFinton.

This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Memphis water crisis what we know