Tennessee American Water will switch water flow from the old pipe to the new pipe it installed earlier this week along Hixson Pike at Lupton drive on Saturday, from approximately 9 a.m.
to 1 p.m. While this process is being completed, customers from in the area will experience low water pressure or no water (see attached map for impacted streets). Tennessee American Water completed installing 600 feet of new pipe on Hixson Pike at the intersection of Lupton Drive, to replace the 1950s era pipe which had experienced its most recent break on July 25.
“We apologize for the disruption in service,” said Tennessee American Water engineering manager Kurt Stafford. “We know residents rely on their water service in their daily lives. We chose to do this in Saturday to avoid disrupting the neighborhood school schedules on a weekday.”
Customers were notified about the outage Friday afternoon as soon as lab results were received indicating the pipe was sufficiently cleaned and ready to be connected to homes. Tennessee American Water used its mass notification system to contact customers via phone, text, email or any combination of these, based on the information the customer has provided the water provider. All customers are encouraged to make sure that their contact info is up to date and can do so on the company website tennesseamwater.com or by calling the customer service center at 1-866-736-6420.
After the water is turned back on, customers can run the cold tap until it runs clear if they experience air or discolored water. An outside spigot or bathtub faucet is recommended since it creates more flow.
Some repaving was completed this week while the bulk will take place next week and may continue into the week of Aug. 20. Officials said, “We appreciate the city of Chattanooga working with us to assure a traffic plan that helps commuters, children attending Rivermont Elementary and keeping workers on site and drivers safe. We urge everyone to use extra caution when driving this portion of Hixson Pike.”