By DAVID MELSON - dmelson@t-g.com
Issues with low water pressure across portions of Bedford County are gradually improving and expected to continue doing so, the general manager of Bedford County Utility District said Wednesday morning.
“We think things should be somewhat back to normal in 12 to 24 hours,” BCUD’s Randy Head said. “We are recovering and on the upswing.”
BCUD customers across northern Bedford County from the Unionville and Rover areas through Deason, and in the Wartrace-Bell Buckle-Normandy areas, reported very low water pressure Tuesday. Customers in far southern Bedford County were also plagued with water issues.
Particular problem areas have been what Head termed “the furthest extremes” on the edges of BCUD’s system.
“We’ve experienced the worst temperature situation in 25 years,” Randy Head said. Temperatures since last Thursday have dropped from the 50s to zero and are now rapidly warming back into the 50s.
Many customers followed advice to leave water slightly running or dripping to prevent freezes. That resulted in BCUD’s storage tanks being depleted.
“The low water pressure is due to drained tanks,” Head said.
All BCUD water is safe to drink.
“Our water is still testing well. There’s no need to boil,” Head emphasized.
“No boil orders have been issued for Bedford County,” Head said, citing Nashville media reports of state boil orders in other areas of Tennessee.
Customers in higher elevations — particularly those served by the BCUD water storage tank on Ransom Hill in Deason — have been especially hard hit.
People living in flat areas west of U.S. 231 North may not think of their areas as “high elevation,” but they are compared to locations further west, Head explained.
“Anyone served off Ransom Hill has issues, but things are beginning to come around,” Head said. “Most everyone in that area has some water, but it’s not up to full pressure.”
The Chestnut Ridge area in southern Bedford County had serious pressure problems Tuesday, but conditions began improving during the afternoon, Head said, and should be back to normal today.
The utility is temporarily waiving all fees on customer calls concerning water issues.
“Thank goodness our customers have called us,” Head said. “We take the calls as fast as we can. We understand some customers have been unable to get through or have experienced busy signals. We regret it.”
Some individual customers’ problems may be due to problems on their end, Head said. BCUD is urging customers to check their equipment closely for possible leaks or other weather-related problems.
“We need people to see if there is a leak on their side,” Head said.
Shelbyville Power, Water and Sewerage System has helped supply some water, Head said, but in limited quantities due to its own issues. Businesses and individuals across the city reported burst pipes over the weekend and into Tuesday.
