Nearly all Northeast Tennesseans ordered to conserve water

JONESBOROUGH, Tenn. (WJHL) — The Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC) has issued a mandatory water conservation order for Northeast Tennessee.

TDEC issued the order on Tuesday night and stated in a news release that it applies to the entirety of six counties in Northeast Tennessee.

All residents of Carter, Greene, Johnson, Sullivan, Unicoi and Washington counties are ordered to conserve water as much as possible.

Citizens of those counties should refrain from what TDEC described as non-essential uses of water, which include washing clothes, cars and dishes or irrigating landscapes.

Parts of Cocke, Sevier and Jefferson counties are also under the mandatory water conservation order.

“Our thoughts and prayers remain with our fellow Tennesseans dealing with the severity of damage caused by the storm,” TDEC Commissioner David Salyers stated in the release. “In this critical time of limited resources clean water is essential for recovery and we call upon all citizens in these affected areas to conserve as much water as is possible.”

As of Tuesday, multiple water utilities are not in operation and are cut off from their distribution systems, according to TDEC. The conservation order was issued in hopes of helping existing water supplies last longer.

TDEC provided the following list of utility districts in Tennessee that have issued boil water advisories for their customers, as of Tuesday night:

• Chuckey Utility District
• Cross Anchor Utility District
• Dandridge Water Department
• Elizabethton Water Department
• Erwin Utilities Authority
• First Utility District of Carter County
• Glen Hills Utility District
• Greeneville Water and Light Commission
• Hampton Utility District
• Jonesborough Water Department
• Mosheim Utility District
• Mountain City Water Department
• Newport Utilities Board
• South Elizabethton Utility District
• Webb Creek Utility District
• Unicoi Utility District

According to TDEC, a potential boil water advisory is pending for customers of North Greene Utilities.

Anyone under a boil water advisory should boil all tap water for at least three minutes and then let cool before using for drinking, food preparation, brushing teeth, making ice or washing dishes.

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