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HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) — The extreme winter weather in the Houston area has not only posed issues with the power supply. There are also issues with water pressure.
In municipalities that have reported low water pressure in the midst of the freezing temperatures, advising people to limit water use to essential tasks. Some communities are also under a boil water advisory.
Here are the area city governments that have reported issues so far:
Baytown
Officials announced that due to the extreme temperatures and power issues, the Baytown Area Water Authority plant is no longer operational.
As a result, customers may experience no or very low water pressure.
Baytown officials warn this may not change until temperatures rise above freezing.
Bellaire
The city of Bellaire issued a boil water notice late Tuesday night.
Water used for drinking, cooking and ice should be boiled and cooled. Officials are urging residents to use bottled water until further notice.
Conroe
City officials say their water plants are experiencing some issues related to extreme cold temperatures and power-related issues, however, the water distribution system is operating.
Public Works recommends customers either store water in jugs or fill a bathtub with water to flush toilets, if water service should be interrupted.
They are seeing an extremely large amount of private water leaks, which causes a strain on the public water system. Customers should call the Public Works office immediately at 936-522-3885 if they notice a water leak. Crews will respond as soon as possible so to turn off the water service.
During this extreme weather event, customers are encouraged to conserve as much water as possible.
Deer Park
Deer Park city officials say they had to turn off the city’s water supply to our customers in order to make emergency repairs. The decision was also made in order to preserve fire protection capabilities. Residential and commercial water customers may have intermittent water, however, this water must be boiled prior to human consumption.
A boil water order is now in effect for the City of Deer Park until further notice. To ensure destruction of all harmful bacteria and other microbes, water for drinking, cooking, and ice making should be boiled and cooled prior to use for drinking water or human consumption purposes. The water should be brought to a vigorous rolling boil and then boiled for two minutes.
In lieu of boiling, residents may purchase bottled water or obtain water from some other suitable source for drinking water or human consumption purposes.
Fort Bend County
Due to reduced distribution system pressure and low disinfection residuals within the Fort Bend County WCID #2 water system, which supplies water to Harris County MUD 122, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality has required the Harris County MUD 122, TX1012391, public water system to notify all customers to boil their water prior to consumption.
Some of the neighborhoods under Fort Bend County WCID #2 water system include the following:
- Townewest HOA
- Townewest CIA
- Eldridge Park Village
- Riverway Estates
If you have questions, call Inframark, the operator for Harris County MUD 122, at their 24-hour Customer Service Line (281) 398-8211.
Fulshear
Fort Bend County Judge KP George shared on Twitter a water boil notice for parts of the city of Fulshear.
“This impacts residents outside of Cross Creek Ranch. Residents of Downtown, Fullbrook, Fullbrook on Fulshear Creek, Fulshear Run, and Polo Ranch are under boil notice,” George wrote.
Galveston
The City of Galveston is under a boil water notice, meaning water for drinking, cooking and ice making should be boiled and cooled prior to use for drinking water or human consumption purposes.
The notice comes after the city enacted Stage 5 of its water emergency response due to major water line breaks and system failures, which caused significant loss of the capability to provide water service.
The city says the boil water notice was placed to ensure destruction of any harmful bacteria.
The City of Galveston is under Stage 5 water restrictions after prolonged freezing temperatures exacerbated by the loss of power for heating caused major water line breaks in homes and businesses across the island.
Most customers may already be experiencing low to no water pressure as a result of these breaks and failures.
“The Thomas Mackey Water Plant is working at full capacity; however, demand is currently exceeding available supply,” the city wrote on Facebook. “The Gulf Coast Water Authority will continue to supply water to the island as long as it can. The city’s water supply is critically low, and efforts are ongoing to fill tanks while GCWA is still delivering water.”
Houston
City of Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner is urging residents to not run water to prevent pipes from freezing and to turn off water if pipes have burst. This comes as Turner states the city is working hard to maintain water pressure, but “it has become increasingly difficult.”
The city’s office of emergency management informed customers of low pressure involving Houston’s water and wastewater systems.
“To help maintain water pressure in the system during this winter weather event, please use water only for essential tasks & help conserve water by not running washing machines, dishwashers, or watering outdoors,” the office advised.
According to Houston Public Works, there are about 2.1 million customers subscribed to the utility.
On Tuesday, the Clear Lake City Water Authority, which is touted as the largest water district in Texas, said the city of Houston informed them that they must reduce the distribution water system pressure.
“Due to an extreme demand over the entire area it is becoming more difficult to keep water tanks full. The water remains safe to drink. Please conserve water and limit usage with the sanitary sewer service,” the water authority said.
Jersey Village
The city of Jersey Village issued a boil water notice to its residents.
“Due to reduced distribution system pressure, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality has required the Jersey Village public water system to notify all customers to boil their water prior to consumption (e.g., washing hands/face, brushing teeth, drinking, etc). Children, seniors, and persons with weakened immune systems are particularly vulnerable to harmful bacteria, and all customers should follow these directions),” the city stated.
La Marque
The Galveston County town of more than 16,600 people stated residents living on the west side of the Gulf Freeway could be experiencing low water pressure.
The issue has also compounded with rolling blackouts with the city’s equipment, which officials are leaning on the use of a generator to resolve, according to a tweet by the city.
League City
The city tweeted the following advice to residents on Tuesday. “If you do not have running water in your home or if you have low pressure, your service line is most likely frozen.”
They added that residents with a water pipe break they cannot locate should call 281-554-1390.
Magnolia
The city of Magnolia issued a boil water notice Feb. 16 for all water customers receiving water from the city, according to an announcement the city posted to its website. The freezing temperatures and loss of electricity have caused failure in the city’s water plants and therefore a loss of water pressure, according to the notice.
The notice states that all water for drinking, cooking, ice making, washing hands or faces, brushing teeth and other similar activities should be brought to a “vigorous” boil, boiled for at least two minutes and then cooled prior to consumption for safety purposes. The boil water notice is in effect indefinitely, with the city stating it will notify customers when the water is once again safe to consume.
Additionally, the notice states children, seniors and persons with weakened immune systems are particularly vulnerable to harmful bacteria, which could be found in the water.
Water users can use bottled water or water obtained from other suitable sources for drinking water if users cannot boil the water, according to the notice.
Missouri City
To report low water pressure or water outages, residents may contact their municipal utility district operations company.
To prevent having frozen pipes that may burst in the walls and ceilings, emergency management officials recommend that residents do the following to maintain circulation of water:
Open faucets to kitchens, bathrooms, bathtubs and showers for a few minutes at least every hour; and flush toilets every hour.
In the event that a home pipe burst does occur, residents are advised to turn off the service line valves and contact a plumber. These specific water connections are generally located in the front of a home, extend above the ground surface and elbow into exterior front walls.
All water lines need to be opened and vented of air in the lines when placing the water back in service. Residents can also contact their MUD operations company to shut off their water at the road if these home service valves cannot be found near the exterior wall of their homes.
When this winter system is over, experts recommend that residents flush their home water systems to clear up any discoloration of the water. Discoloration is caused from iron and manganese in the pipes and can stain clothes if it is not flushed out properly.
Pasadena
Due to the extreme winter storm temperatures, the city of Houston’s Southeast Water Purification Plant, which provides water to the city of Pasadena, experienced low line pressure. As a result, customers need to boil their water prior to consumption.
To ensure destruction of all harmful bacteria and other microbes, water for drinking, cooking, and making ice should be boiled and cooled prior to use. The water should be brought to a vigorous, rolling boil for two minutes. If you do not have electricity in order to boil water, please refrain from drinking or using tap water.
Patton Village
The town’s mayor sent notice of the Cheatum Water Well’s (Water Well No. 3) shutdown due to low volume of water.
Pearland
Extreme low temperatures and extended power outages have led to low water pressure at the Shadow Creek Ranch Water Production facility and loss of power at the Alice Water Production facility. Because of that, the City of Pearland public water system is notifying all customers in Pearland city limits to boil their water prior to consumption. That includes washing hands/face, brushing teeth, drinking and cooking. Children, seniors, and persons with weakened immune systems are particularly vulnerable to harmful bacteria, and all customers should follow these directions.
To ensure destruction of all harmful bacteria and other microbes, water for drinking, cooking, and ice making should be brought to a vigorous rolling boil for two minutes and then cooled prior to use. If boiliing water isn’t possible, use bottled water until further notice.
Richmond
City officials with Richmond report they are receiving calls about low or no water pressure in homes. They say the water service in Richmond is running with no issues. If residents have no water, they advise there is a good chance the pipes are frozen. This could cause pipes to burst.
Residents are cautioned to turn their water off at the residential valve if possible. If you are unable to turn the water off, you can call the city at 281-342-0559 for an emergency shut-off.
Seabrook
Seabrook issued a boil water notice Tuesday night, according to the city’s social media accounts.
The city stated that it followed Pasadena’s lead.
City of South Houston
South Houston informed residents to boil water for drinking, cooking, and making ice.
The city noted that it draws its supply for the City of Houston’s Southeast Water Purification Plant, which is experiencing low line pressure.
Tomball
Tomball officials issued Monday a boil water notice in the wake of low or no water pressure throughout the city.
Water for drinking, cooking and ice making should be boiled and cooled before use. The boil water notice is in effect until further notice.
City of Tomball water system officials said they will notify customers when the notice is no longer necessary.
“The extreme weather conditions have caused some of our water well controllers and chlorinators to freeze. We have crews working on the issue and our wells are slowly coming back on line,” the city posted on Facebook. “We are asking everyone to limit water use to only that which is absolutely necessary.”