MLGW customers on Christmas Day with water boil advisory, some with low pressure, outages
Memphians awoke Christmas morning under a boil water advisory, with some residents experiencing low water pressure and outages.
Memphis Light, Gas and Water crews are out Sunday, working to fix seven known water main breaks and restore pressure to the systems. MLGW reported five water main breaks Saturday evening but discovered two more Sunday morning.
As of Saturday evening, all MLGW customers are under a boil water advisory.
That means all residents should boil water before using it. MLGW said residents should not drink water unless it has reached a vigorous boil for about three minutes — then let it cool before consumption.
The boiled, or bottled, water should be used for drinking, making ice, brushing teeth, washing dishes and food preparations, the company said. It also said tap water is suitable for bathing as long as the water does not enter the mouth.
Organisms in the water can cause symptoms including nausea, cramps, diarrhea and headaches.
The advisory excludes Bartlett, Collierville and a majority of Germantown.
Germantown residents who should boil water include those living off Crestridge Road at Germantown Road and south of Winchester Road off McVay Road at Stout Road, excluding the Allelon Subdivision.
"At present, we do not have an estimated time of restoration for low water pressure or to restoreevery outage," an MLGW press release said. "As we repair mains, and identify other leaks, we will provide an update with restoration times."
MLGW previously issued the advisory Friday evening for parts of Memphis and Shelby County, but as the freezing temperatures and power outages continued, the utility company decided to enact the advisory for its whole footprint.
MLGW issued the initial, localized advisory Friday evening after "experiencing multiple line breaks and water production issues resulting in pressure loss in (Southeast) and (North) Shelby (County)," a tweet from the company said.
MLGW CEO Doug McGowen said in a noon press briefing Saturday that the advisory, which at the time only applied to part of the county, could last about two days — through Christmas.
In the briefing McGowen added "there are no detected problems with the water," and at the time, water pressure was back on the rise, but it may be a "day or two" before MLGW can lift the water boil advisory.
Water pressure fell Saturday evening in parts of Memphis.
McGowen said MLGW is mandated to issue the advisory if pressure drops below 20 lbs. per square inch. He said normal water pressure is between 50 - 60 lbs. per square inch, but because of electrical interruptions and freezing temperatures, some pumps needed to be thawed.
MLGW asks those who are out of water or see water coming out of the ground to call the company's emergency line, (901)528-4465.
Dima Amro covers the suburbs for The Commercial Appeal and can be reached at Dima.Amro@commercialappeal.com or on Twitter @AmroDima.
This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: All MLGW customers still under water boil advisory Christmas Day
