A water emergency was been declared for the city of Galveston, Texas on Jan. 18, 2018 after freezing temperatures caused several pipes to burst. The city has asked for its citizens to significantly reduce water consumption over the coming days.
The city’s utility department has received nearly 5,000 calls from residents regarding frozen pipes, and as a result, the city’s water supply has dropped by 40% since Jan. 16.
City Marshal Michael Gray claims this is a highly unusual circumstance for the usually warm climate of Texas.
“We don’t see icicles very often in Galveston,” Gray said. “It’s the hardest freeze any of us here at City Hall have seen since the 80s.”
Another problem facing the city is the substantial amount of vacation homes present in the area, meaning many potential pipe problems could go unaccounted for, prolonging the water problem.
Specifically, Galveston residents have been asked to reduce water use for certain purposes, such as washing cars, watering plants, filling pools or using city water to supply decorative fountains, among other things.