The winter weather has caused havoc on multiple water suppliers in the area, primarily in southern Tallapoosa County, eastern Elmore County and portions of Macon County.
While demand is high and leaks due to burst pipes abound, one system is completely out of water in its tanks resorting to bottled water. Other water authorities are cautious suggesting limiting usage.
“Unfortunately, Wall Street Water Authority (WSWA) has completely run out of water on our water system,” it said on its Facebook page. “Our tanks are completely empty and we are at the mercy of the treatment plant to supply us water once their current system gets restored. We are hopeful [Monday] that we can start pumping water again but this will be a several day restoration process for WSWA to have water at a normal operating level. We are sorry for this inconvenience and will do our best to have everyone water again.”
WSWA currently has bottled water at its office for its customers to have drinking water. WSWA services parts of Reeltown, East Tallassee and parts of Macon County.
Notasulga has multiple leaks due to breaks caused by the weather. The small town is trying to fill its tanks from the Loachapoka Water Authority but it normally gets water from WSWA.
Tallassee Mayor Sarah Hill said Monday the city’s water filter plant has been manned and operating at full capacity for several days — even over the holiday. But even with that it has limited who it can currently serve to those residents in Tallassee.
“Due to circumstances beyond our control, there is currently a shortage of available treated water in the City of Tallassee,” Hill said. “At this time, there are no plans to cut off water service to citizens of Tallassee. However, service to wholesale buyers has been temporarily shut off in order to help rebuild the City’s water supply.”
Hill said the city is working to identify what it can do to minimize further impact. The Tallassee mayor said Tallassee citizens shouldn’t overreact by filling bathtubs and other large receptacles.
“This will further strain the system,” Hill said.
Hill asked Tallassee citizens to minimize water usage as much as possible and with the warming weather to turn off all faucets and spigots. She also said everyone should look at their water meters to determine if they have a leak. If everything in a residence is off, the meter should not be showing usage.
Hill also suggested no outdoor fires to burn boxes, leaves or other refuse to reduce the possibility of fires.
“We have been proactive and made sure all of the tankers at the fire department are full and ready if needed,” Hill said.
The Town of Eclectic said it along with several of the Elmore County Water systems is experiencing loss of water pressure and supply in some areas.
“At this time [Monday], Eclectic has repaired the major leaks that we are aware of on our system and should have those resolved by the end of today,” the town said on its Facebook page. “But due to problems of the surrounding water authorities, the capacity of water and pressure will be limited for days to come. Thank you for your patience and understanding and please know that our staff has worked tirelessly the past few days and will continue to do so, even in these extreme temperatures.”
Central Elmore Water and Sewer Authority (CEW&SA) said Monday on its Facebook page its water supply is not in a state of emergency.
“We are in a state of caution,” CEW&SA said. “At this time, CEW&SA residential customers should not worry about there being loss of drinking water due to no water in the tanks. We are monitoring wholesale customers.”
Walnut Hill Water Authority said Monday it has crews out trying to locate possible leaks
“Walnut Hill Water Authority (WHWA) tank levels are dropping,” WHWA said. “Please check your side of the water meter for leaks. Spread the word to your neighbors. Some of our neighboring systems are out of water.”