The West Lauderdale Water Authority is asking customers to conserve as much water as possible.
The recent cold weather has caused major problems for thousands of people in the Muscle Shoals area.Â
The West Lauderdale Water Authority is now asking its customers to conserve water, as the county has reported dangerously low water levels remaining.Â
One of many water tanks in Lauderdale County that is less than 50% full of water.
"We only have one (tank) that is over 50%," said Linda Lack, business manager at West Lauderdale Water Authority. "The tanks are normally 98-100%."
She said many people left their faucets running this past weekend to protect their pipes from freezing. That, along with unprecedented power blackouts, caused the county's water supply to drop to below-normal limits.Â
West Lauderdale Water Authority has fewer than 10 workers, but Lack said they have been able to fix a lot of broken lines, sometimes going without any proper rest.Â
"When one of them gets to the point where they just can't go, they go rest for a few hours and come back," said Lack. "Sometimes that doesn't even get to happen, because there's just so much going on."
Along with asking customers to reduce water use, the utility asks customers to make sure there are no visible leaks in or near your home. Lack said she understands customers are frustrated, but it will only get better if everyone works together while the problem is being resolved.
"It is so important for the customers to work with us," said Lack. "We can't be in all 6,000 customers' homes at one time. We're covering as much ground as we can."
Lack said she hopes the situation can be resolved and water levels can return to normal levels within a week.Â
