MEMPHIS, Tenn. (NEWSnet/AP) — Memphis was on its fourth day of a boil water notice on Monday, as repair crews worked to fix water pipes broken by a week of sub-freezing temperatures, snow and ice.

Memphis’ water company issued an advisory on Friday that its city residents, more than 600,000 people, should boil water they intended to use for drinking, brushing their teeth and preparing food.

The advisory was issued because low pressure in the system and breaks in water mains could allow harmful bacteria to contaminate the water supply.

 

Some residents lost all water service after winter storms that have caused at least 75 deaths around the U.S. this month, many involving hypothermia or road accidents.

In Tennessee, the several inches of snow and unusually low temperatures led the Tennessee Valley Authority to ask the 10 million people in its service area to conserve energy to avoid rolling blackouts. The utility set a record demand for electricity last week, but the system remained stable.

Memphis, Light, Gas and Water CEO Doug McGowen told reporters Sunday afternoon that crews were making progress with repairs and he expects most customers to have water service restored on Monday and Tuesday.

They will still have to boil water, likely through Thursday, though.

As Memphis continued to thaw, McGowen also asked people to stop dripping their faucets and resist the temptation to wash their cars to help build pressure in the system. The city has been repairing at least 51 water main breaks and located more than 4,000 leaks at homes and businesses.

Memphis was the largest, but not the only, water system in Tennessee to experience problems from the unusually cold weather. The Tennessee Emergency Management Agency said on Sunday night that 28 water systems were under boil water notices and 17 counties were reporting operational issues with their water utilities.

In Tipton County, the fire department in Mason warned residents on Sunday to be prepared for a multiday water outage.

“There is no current time table on how long it will be before water services will be fully restored to all customers,” fire officials said in a Facebook post.

Several days of below-freezing temperatures have also caused water problems for multiple cities around Arkansas, where freezing rain on Monday led to warnings of possible power outages as well.

The water shortages include Phillips County in eastern Arkansas, where a pump failure affected about 8,000 residents, according to the state Department of Emergency Management. The state’s National Guard was dispatching water trucks to several affected communities.

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