Holidays Brings Cold Weather, Problems for Utilities
The Lexington Fire Department helps Henderson County Emergency Management hand out bottled water at Lexington Utilities Operation Center, Monday, December 26, 2022. The Tennessee Emergency Management Agency sent two pallets of water to Lexington for distribution. Henderson County Mayor supplemented that supply with another pallet from Wal-Mart.
Photo by: Steve Corlew / Lexington Progress
Article by Steve Corlew-
Temperatures were rising, but still bitterly cold on Christmas Day. On Christmas Eve, Lexington and Scotts Hill water systems issued boil water alerts as water pressures dropped due to leaks and rolling black outs from the Tennessee Valley Authority.
Lexington Utilities General Manager Michael Harper reported that the as of 8:30 a.m. Christmas morning, his crews had responded to over 200 calls from customers. By Monday the number of calls had doubled, according to Harper.
Water storage for the system had dropped to zero on Christmas but with the help of a City of Lexington fire engine, the water department was building up pressure in the system.
While pressure and the supply has been slowly improving, the Boil Water Notice will not be lifted until samples are tested and declared clear, according to Harper.
“Once we regain pressure throughout our water system, we will then take bacterial samples,” Harper said though a Lexington Utilities post. “Those samples will incubate for….
For complete coverage, see the December 28th edition of The Lexington Progress.
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