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Water Officials Encouraging Residents to Prevent Frozen Pipes

Customers are being urged by Central Arkansas Water to take precautions to prevent frozen plumbing as temperatures plummet into the teens this weekend.

The agency recommends leaving a small stream of water running through faucets, which will reduce the chances of freezing during the evening and overnight hours.

According to CAW spokesman John Tynan, pipes broken as a result of freezing can cause water damage and additional difficulties for homeowners.

"Flushing the toilet, doing the dishes, taking showers ... All of those things are very hard to do without water," Tynan said. "That's why we're encouraging our customers to prevent any inconvenience of busted pipes and to stay comfortable during the upcoming weather."

Tynan also noted the company has taken other measures to ensure constant use of water during severe winter weather. Central Arkansas did not see water outages during the 2012 winter storm, but Tynan said it's best to be prepared.

"We have more four-wheel drive vehicles in place and have more generator capacity to keep our pumps running," Tynan said. "We've actually staged some portable generators as well as some of our equipment throughout the system, and we have fueling stations topped off and ready to go."

Frigid temperatures as low as 16 degrees are expected in the Little Rock area Friday night.

A full list of precautions can be found at Central Arkansas Water's website.

Liz Fox currently studies print journalism and English literature at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. In addition to her reporting duties at KUAR, she serves as entertainment editor for UALR's student newspaper, The Forum, and works at Arkansas Business magazine as an editorial intern.