Metro Water says 40 main breaks repaired; warns thaw will increase work and urges precautions

Metro Water Services (first referenced by the mayor and represented in the briefing) said its crews had repaired 40 water main breaks in the last four days and were managing seven active repairs while staffing operations 24/7, including contractors and additional engineering staff.

Scott Potter (first referenced by the mayor in the briefing) said the utility was prepared for an expected surge in main breaks as temperatures rise and thawing begins. He said crews would often isolate a break to stop leakage and then return to complete full repairs: "So that's like a throughput kind of thing to get the work done as efficiently as we can." He described three shifts, contractor support and an ability to scale up if needed.

Officials acknowledged particular neighborhoods, mobile-home parks and areas with frozen service lines would be harder to resolve until temperatures increase. Potter said the water plants remained staffed and that Metro was using thermal imaging with MMPD helicopters to help identify breaks. Residents with frozen service were advised to turn off in-home shutoff valves to prevent interior flooding when thawing begins.

The briefing reiterated that water quality in Nashville remained safe at the time of the update and that Metro Water Services was coordinating daily with the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation.