UPDATE: Water outage update for City of Asheville customers

Press release from City of Asheville:

Update on water outages
A water production facility in the southern portion of the distribution system has been unable to produce water since December 24. This has contributed to water outages in the southern part of Buncombe County including south Asheville.

Additionally, the water system is experiencing higher water consumption levels. At this time, it is believed the higher consumption levels are being driven by multiple factors to include burst pipes, more people at home due to the holidays and customers proactively allowing water to drip in homes to avoid burst pipes in the recent extreme weather conditions. The Water Resources Department is grateful for the proactive measures taken but now requests people refrain from allowing faucets to drip during the day time hours due to the impacts on the overall water system. The greatest need now is to keep as much water in the system as possible.

What City staff is doing to address the situation
Water Resources crews have been working around the clock since December 24 to identify and repair broken lines in the public infrastructure. We have repaired water line breaks in these areas as of December 27 at 12 p.m.: two locations on McDowell St., two locations on Sweeten Creek Road, Depot St, London Rd, and crews are onsite now on Monte Vista Rd.

Updates to customers and residents are being sent through the City of Asheville AVL Alert system.  Visit this link to sign up for alerts.

Emergency Management partners are coordinating plans for those without drinking water. More information will be released as it becomes available. Emergency service providers have alternative water supply plans in place for fire protection. Coordination is also happening with hospitals to maximize continuity of services.

What can all customers – residents and businesses –  do to help?
Mandatory water conservation measures are in place. Here is what the public can do:
Minimize or delay processes that use large quantities of water.
Take shorter showers.
Do not wash your car.
Delay doing laundry.
Delay running the dishwasher.

In areas where there is no water, please check on your neighbors and the elderly.

If you see a leak in your area, please email egovutility@ashevillenc.gov  or call the customer service line at 828-251-1122. Due to high call volumes, wait times will be longer than normal on the phone line.

When will water be restored?
Because of the complexity of the issues we are facing, we do not know when water service will be restored. We are working around the clock to return service to all customers. The issues are focused mainly in the southern distribution area, but all other parts of the system could be affected with no water pressure, low water pressure and discolored water.

The next update will be sent by 6 p.m. on December 27.