GERMANTOWN, Tenn. — To prepare for residential flushing, Germantown is asking residents with an irrigation system to immediately turn it off.
On Wednesday evening, Germantown crews announced some residents may be able to start flushing out their water lines as early as tomorrow. They said turning off their irrigation systems will "help build the pressure in the system to prepare for the demand that will be needed during the flushing effort."
The city said as of 8:30 a.m. Wednesday, public works and fire department crews have flushed and tested 40% of the area that remains under the order to use water only for flushing toilets. They announced later that test results from samples collected Tuesday and overnight have confirmed clear results.
Tuesday evening, Germantown leaders said the source of the continued water contamination had "been discovered and addressed." They said all samples from the Southern Avenue reservoirs tested Tuesday are clear from contamination, and the "very controlled, systematic flushing program" would begin.
The city said the restrictions will remain in place until the entire water system has been flushed and cleared, and the TDEC signs off.
So how does flushing the system work? The city posted this video to explain.
Meanwhile, people in the city are approaching one week without clean water, and they are demanding more answers from those in charge.
This all came about after diesel fuel began leaking into the city’s reservoir during a recent power outage.
Mayor Mike Palazzolo said “Every day here is different” during a press conference the Monday following the leak. But that was the last most people heard from him until a video update was released about 5:45 p.m. on Tuesday, and it has many people in Germantown annoyed because they do not feel the city is being transparent enough.
“When I open the tap, I still smell diesel fuel,” said David Hopkins, who found out about the water order while he was out at a restaurant.
Several businesses, like Huey’s in Germantown, are still closed until further notice due to the water crisis, and many people like Hopkins are forced to buy bottled water.
“I tried running the water to bring my hot water heater down because I know the city was trying to flush some things out. Maybe that would help a little bit, (but) no, still a real strong diesel fuel smell,” said Hopkins. “This is drinking water people. People need water every day.”
This concern has been resonating with organizations like the Germantown Municipal School District. School officials said in a statement Tuesday the district still plans on starting the year on Aug. 9.
The statement goes on to say: “Our team is diligently exploring solutions to overcome the challenges posed by a lack of potable water at Dogwood Elementary School, Farmington Elementary School, and Riverdale K-8 School.”
The district plans to share a plan with staff members before they get to school next week.
However, with little else to go on, people like Cameron Elliott are frustrated, saying the city needs to be more upfront with the ongoing issue.
“I know a lot of people just in the area that are really struggling that aren’t getting enough water every day - that are starting to take risks because they’re not getting information from the city,” said Elliott. “We’ve really been drowning in a lack of information.”
Elliott is asking the City of Germantown to be more transparent and hold a town hall where everyone can find out what water tests are being done, where they are being done, and what those results truly are.
“There are valid questions from residents that are being asked to be put on pause right now, and you can’t really put people’s lives on pause while you wait for other test results,” said Elliott.
ABC24 reached out to the City of Germantown to see if they were considering a town hall. The city did not respond to this question but did say they will be releasing a video update soon on social media.
ABC24 wants to know if you would like to see Germantown leaders host a town hall and what questions you would ask.
Text the word 'TOWNHALL' to 901-321-7520. A link will be sent to your phone for you to submit your questions, and ABC24 will ask them.