CARLISLE, Ky. (LEX 18) — Phone lines were nonstop at the Nicholas County Water District Tuesday. Everyone wanted to know why they weren't getting any water.
Nicholas County isn't alone. Kentucky communities facing water shortages include Winchester, Lincoln County, Powell County, Taylor County, and Garrard County.
In Nicholas County, the shortage is due to an increase in water consumption, Silas Cleaver, the chairman of their water board, explained. It all goes back to the dangerous cold that descended on Central Kentucky Thursday night.
In Lexington, a fire department official said the cold led to an "unprecedented" number of pipes bursting. The same thing is happening in Nicholas and other counties, Cleaver said. In addition, at cattle farms, two-inch thick pipes are breaking, with water spilling out, said.
The very thing people have done to prevent their pipes from bursting, letting their faucets drip, is also to blame, Cleaver said.
"A lot of people don't have water, I don't have water," Cleaver said.
Cleaver estimated that more than half of their customers have little to no water pressure. That's about 600-700 customers, he said. About 300 people have called their office saying they are without water, an office manager said.
The community gets most of its water from Carlisle and western Fleming County. Both of those communities are facing the same issue so they can't give Nicholas County the same amount of water they normally would, Cleaver said. They prioritize their own residents first, he said.
"Everyone's trying to keep up but it's hard when the systems are down," Cleaver said.
Nicholas County's water tanks were extremely low Tuesday. Some were dry while others had about 25% of their storage capacity. In many cases, only people living at the bottom of hills are receiving water. They are asking people to reduce their water usage.
Cleaver said he understands people are frustrated and said they are doing the best they can with the very limited resources they have. That includes two people working in the field and two people working at their office.
It was unclear when exactly water pressure would return, but Cleaver hoped that if nothing broke overnight it could return to some customers by mid-morning Wednesday.
