Filtering through ‘No Water’ Calls

Louisville Water call centerThe long stretch of days where we never climb above freezing appears to be fading, for now. Hundreds of calls have poured into Louisville Water’s radio room and call center, keeping dispatchers and customer service representatives quite busy. Maybe you were one of the customers calling to report “no water” and listened as the automated voice on the other end walked you through the prompts. The words “no water” were recorded nearly 100 times compared to “frozen” which was only about one fourth of that number.

bathroom faucet


While Louisville Water proactively shares tips to help avoid frozen pipes, the flood of calls from customers reporting they don’t have water is not unusual this time of year. Most of the time, it’s the customer’s pipes that have frozen.


Dispatcher Beth McAnelly has answered more than her fair share of those calls over the course of 21 years.

“We tell them (customers) to open up their cabinets and get as much heat as possible to their pipes. Once they get water back, be sure to run a pencil stream of water so it helps to prevent it from freezing again,” she said.

Louisville Water employee working in the cold

With a steady stream of “no water” tickets, field customer service representatives like Bill Hartlage are investigating each one to help determine the cause. He found himself in a scavenger hunt of sorts at one home in the Highlands Thursday morning.

“Just finding the plastic meter lids, trying to detect them and get to them. That’s been the main challenge,” Hartlage said.

Thick ice covered the driveway and even parts of the yard. Hartlage pulled up Google maps on his phone for an image to help guide him to the general area. He used his arsenal of tools; a large torch, hand torch, and shovel to chip away at the ice along with a metal detector, looking for any signs of the meter. And finally, success!

Hartlage says he often shares the same tips as McAnelly with customers, emphasizing the importance of dripping the water from their faucets once water service is restored.

“You just want to keep your water moving. It’s a steady flow of water and friction in the pipes. It’s inconsequential really as far as cost. You don’t want your pipes to freeze back up.”

McAnelly also shares one last request with customers she talks to; “We tell them if they get water flowing again to call us and we will cancel the ticket.”

So Hartlage and his coworkers can cross it off the list and move on to the next ticket.

No Water? inforgraphic

Louisville Water’s Ginny on the Job can help you locate your main water shutoff valve.