Rural Texans preparing for days of water shortage

People who live in more rural areas of Central Texas are also dealing with water issues and are on the hunt to find bottled water.

PFLUGERVILLE, Texas - Getting water is now becoming an issue, as the icy weather continues to tighten its grip on Central Texas.

"No one knows exactly what to do. No one is being told about where to get water, there are a lot of people freaking out about water. I literally put on hiking boots today and trekking poles and I was able to get 10 bottles of drinking water," said Pflugerville resident Ashley Moran.

in Pflugerville, the city is reporting water disruptions due to a loss of power at their water treatment plant. Those who are able to get water from the faucets are urged to boil it before consuming it as pressure is so low.

DOWNLOAD THE FOX 7 AUSTIN NEWS APP

Central Texas: Where to shelter, eat and drink

Many central Texans are looking for help during this winter weather emergency. FOX 7 Austin's Shannon Ryan has the details about the resources available.

"It was getting a little bit like 'Lord of the Flies', people were trying to get anywhere they can to find water and some of them and getting stuck on the way there," said Moran. "People are putting snowmelt in their toilets to keep flushing it."

The city reported that it could take hours pressure will return. In the meantime, Moran says her family is rationing the water they did manage to find. "We think we have enough water to get us through Friday maybe Saturday," she said.

Up in Leander, they’re facing a similar issue. "Now we’re in the position we were really out of water," said city manager Rick Beverlin.

FOX 7 Austin spoke with Beverlin on how the city ended up in this situation. "It’s our understanding that the rolling blackouts with ERCOT did actually not fully distinguish critical infrastructure which is part of the problem," said Beverlin.

SIGN UP FOR FOX 7 AUSTIN EMAIL ALERTS

Many without water as Austin’s demand more than doubles supply

City leaders say 1000's of burst pipes have lead to the shortage. They're also urging residents to stop dripping faucets.

He said their plants just couldn’t handle all the power outages and now it might take a while for residents to get water. "We should have water to all the customers even with the boil water notice in approximately a week right now," said Beverlin.

He said they’re in talks with the state and county to try and get water delivered to their city as well as looking for other ways to get bottled water to residences. During this time they’re asking people to please conserve water.