The Town of Alto could run out of water if its customers do not conserve over the next couple of days.
That’s the message from Mayor PJ Huggins, who said numerous leaks combined with two major water leaks at the former Mount Vernon Mills plants have depleted the town’s water supply that comes from its seven wells.
“There is a danger right now that we are gonna run out,” Huggins said Tuesday night. “We pumped some from Banks County until they sprung a leak. Demorest is low and they can’t share any water, so I mean it’s basically a day-by-day basis on how our water system is.”
Alto not only serves the former Mount Vernon Mills plants, but also Lumite and other industries along County Line Road, in addition to many homes and other businesses.
Companies who lease from Phoenix, which now owns the former Mount Vernon Mills, including Hodie Meats and SteelCell, did not operate Tuesday and may not be able to operate Wednesday due to the ongoing water crisis, Huggins said.
If water customers truly conserve, Huggins said she believes the system can recover in a couple of days.
Most other water systems across the area have asked customers to conserve water as they also deal with losses that resulted from unseasonal cold temperatures over the Christmas weekend.
