TENNESSEE RIDGE, Tenn. (WTVF) — The frigid temperatures have put a strain on the water system in two Houston County towns, and now water wells are running low and dozens of people are without water.
Tennessee Ridge City officials say they can't meet the water demand, so they’re asking their customers to conserve it. Some residents like Doug Mills say they’ve been without water for several days.
He says it's frustrating not having running water, and he's not alone.
Earlier this week, officials said their water system was experiencing low tank levels and as a result customers would experience a water outage.
“I asked the lady, when will the water be back on? She said it could be one day or it could be 10 days. I said, what kind of answer is that?” Mills explained.
The city has been providing vouchers to buy water, but Mills questions why the outage is only affecting certain households.
"Some people in Tennessee Ridge have water, so I said switch us out. Turn us on for a while and them off," Mills said.
"This problem has been going. It happened about 6 months ago. They’re not working on the water infrastructure," Tennessee Ridge resident Ray Warfield explained.
Erin Church of Christ, with assistance from the city on Saturday, handed out over 900 cases of bottled water to those in need.
Take a look at just how many water bottles they handed out in the video above.
"We just called disaster relief because that’s all it takes," Erin Church of Christ Elder Terry Allison said.
Elder Terry Allison knows people are struggling.
"If it’s a day or two you can get by. If it’s a week or two weeks you can imagine what your own household would be like without water. You have to have water to cook and drink with and bathe with," Elder Allison said.
Those without are grateful for their generosity, but say they’re tired.
"We're not complaining about the workers. They’re doing what they can," Warfield expressed.
People without running water are trying to remain positive.
"This is a great little town. It’s inconvenient sometimes, but the people here are awesome," Mills said.
Those who have water in Erin and the City of Tennessee Ridge are asked to boil it before drinking out of an abundance of caution due to the low pressure.
The Houston County TN Emergency Management Agency is bringing a trailer of 1500 cases of bottled water to distribute between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. on Sunday at the Tennessee Ridge City Hall for those who don't have running water.
Right now, there's no timeline on when water service will be restored.
