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Low water pressure in Houston area likely caused by frozen pipes, dripping faucets

The freezing temperatures are causing a major water problems for some residents. Frozen pipes could be the reason why.

HOUSTON — Residents have reported low water pressure across the Houston area during the winter storm of 2021.

Houston

As temperatures plummeted, City of Houston officials said many people have decided to drip their faucets, causing major stress on the city's water system. It resulted in low water pressure.

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City of Houston officials said water service has not been stopped and if you don't have water at your house, there's a good chance your pipes are frozen.

The city relies on ground storage tanks and pumps, not water towers. Dripping faucets put more pressure on the pumps, which in turn, leads to low water pressure.

RELATED: Winter storm timeline: Houston expected to get another round of sleet, freezing rain mid-week

There is currently no boil water notice in place but City of Houston officials said that if water pressure gets dangerously low, they will be required to issue one.

Sugar Land

In Sugar Land, officials said there were a lot of water outage reports from the New Territory subdivision on Monday but said it was likely due to frozen pipes.

But city officials also said low water pressure and possible outages in the New Territory area could have been caused by another issue.

"There was air on one of our booster pumps that led to some lower pressure in the system, so people living closer to the booster pump might have experienced low water pressure while people living more distant from the pump might not have had any water at all," City of Sugar Land Communications and Community Engagement Director Doug Adolf said.

City officials flushed the system, which might have caused red, murky sediment to appear in the water for a while.

In Sugar Land, officials said dripping faucets will not stress their system, but it's also not necessary.

Tomball

The City of Tomball was placed under a boil water notice on Monday night after reporting low or no water pressure throughout the city.

"Extreme weather has caused water well controllers and chlorinators to freeze," the city said in a tweet.

Officials said the notice was issued due to reduced distribution system pressure.

The notice is in effect until further notice. Once it's lifted, city officials will notify residents.

Rosenberg

The City of Rosenberg was experiencing a drop in water pressure on Monday night.

City officials said pressure should return to normal in a few hours.

Bellaire

Low temperatures caused multiple frozen waterlines.

Bellaire Public Works said it was responding to the issues as quickly as possible.

Low water pressure was possible in the city overnight and into Tuesday. Water conservation was recommended.

The water remained safe to drink.

La Marque

Residents in La Marque reported low water pressure.

City officials said freezing temperatures and power outages were impacting municipalities across the state and its Public Works Department was working around the clock to keep the water flowing.

Friendswood

City officials said weather conditions continued to impact the public water system, resulting in low water pressure throughout the city.

Officials urged residents to conserve water as much as possible.

What can you do

Officials are asking residents to hunker down and conserve water and energy.

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