GREENWOOD, Arkansas — James Fork Regional Water District (JFRW) and the Booneville Water Department have asked their customers to limit water usage for the foreseeable future.
JFRW said freezing temperatures normally lead to residents running their faucets more which can lead to more leaks.
Booneville Water Department Superintendent Bryan Shultz says while the conservation notice is a preventative measure, it can quickly turn into a dire situation.
"The water plant today produced about 800,000 gallons more than normal, and our levels are still going down," Shultz said. "So basically we're operating off [of] our storage tank," said Shultz.
A restaurant in Greenwood says it's very difficult to conserve water.
"You use water for cooking, water to wash your hands, water for many things," Mireya Chavez said. "So we're trying our best, but there's not much we could do."
Officials said when temperatures drop, residents tend to open their faucets to a steady flow rather than a drip. While it seems like a small change, with thousands of residents, it makes a huge difference for water conservation.
Shultz also encourages residents not to drip every faucet in the home.
"We don't need to be running water in rooms there are not on an exterior wall. Only the water lines that are in an exterior wall in the building are the ones that are in danger of getting frozen," Shultz said.
While James Fork predicts it could be a few days before they remove the notice, Booneville said they should be back to normal by Friday, Jan. 19.
Watch 5NEWS on YouTube.
Download the 5NEWS app on your smartphone:
Stream 5NEWS 24/7 on the 5+ app: How to watch the 5+ app on your streaming device
To report a typo or grammatical error, please email KFSMDigitalTeam@tegna.com and detail which story you're referring to.