Johnston County leaders are asking residents to conserve water starting Monday due to issues at a county water treatment facility caused by a weekend snowstorm across the state.
According to Johnston County Public Utilities, the county is experiencing treatment process interruptions at the Timothy G. Broome Water Treatment Plant due to extreme cold weather. The county declared a temporary water shortage advisory because of the intense cold weather.
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An intense cold snap moved into North Carolina over a week ago, bringing lows in the single digits and teens for many across the state, including Johnston County. Sky 5 flew over the treatment plant and saw snow and ice covering the water.
Johnston County Utilities Director Chandra Farmer said the hope is to have the issues fixed by Wednesday.
"We have had staff working around the clock since yesterday morning to make sure the treatment process is restored properly at the treatment plant," Farmer said.
The water shortage is not the only utility the snowstorm has affected. On Sunday, Duke Energy asked residents to conserve electricity between 4 a.m. and 10 a.m. on Monday so their power grid would not be damaged during the cold snap.
The county asked customers to avoid using water for "non-esssential uses." According to the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality, some residents can conserve water by:
- Avoid leaving water running while rinsing dishes.
- Keep a pitcher of cold water in your refrigerator.
- Take shorter showers.
People living in the area tell WRAL the shortage could not have come at worse time, considering the cold weather and nighttime necessities.
"If individuals want to cook or if they want to shower or use the toilet, it can become hard to do that because they won't have water," said Luna Colon, who lives in Johnston County. "That can make a lot of individuals panic."
In the meantime, some people in the area are stocking up in case they have to go days without running water.
"Good thing that we are at Walmart now so we can stock up on some things and make sure that we have what we need in case any family needs some water," said Amanda Jackson, a Johnston County resident.
Farmer said the county does have a long-term plan to avoid this from happening again. Come this spring, an expansion project at the water treatment plant will be finished, adding capacity for situations like this.
"The county is diligently planning to make sure we can meet the future needs of the county with our additional supply," she said.
That project was originally set to be completed in 2025, but a contractor delay pushed the date back.