Businesses, residents coping with Germantown water crisis - WREG NewsChannel 3

Businesses, residents coping with Germantown water crisis

GERMANTOWN, Tenn. — Six days after diesel fuel leaked into Germantown’s water supply, people are concerned about themselves and how businesses are coping during the crisis.

There are a lot of questions and probably one of the biggest is when the water crisis will end. Those living east of Forest Hill Irene can use their water but for many in the city things still aren’t back to normal.

An empty Chick-fil-A parking lot at 1 p.m. on a Tuesday is a strange sight. The familiar “my pleasure” was not heard at the restaurant in Germantown as the water woes in the city continued throughout the day.

Across town, Clay Williams was met with disappointment when he tried to visit West Street Diner.

“This is one of my favorite places to eat, especially breakfast, but hey, it’s closed,” he said.

Williams, who now lives in Nashville, was in town for a doctor’s appointment but is following the ongoing saga.

“I’m sad because it’s been going on a week,” he said. “Well, I was a banker for years, so I just hate seeing the loss of revenue.”

Several restaurants in the shopping center were also closed. But we found at least one spot trying to keep the revenue stream going. There were no diners inside Memphis Pizza Cafe, but they still provided to-go orders.

Those who live in Germantown told WREG they’re trying to be thankful where they can.

“Right now, we’re just taking it one day at a time,” said Vernon Cox. “Luckily, we have family where we can go to the different houses for extra water.”

Now looking forward, Cox said what’s on everyone’s mind in Germantown.

“Didn’t think it was going to last this long, but I’m ready for it to end,” he said.

In the meantime, there’s a bottled water giveaway at Forest Hill Irene Elementary School until 7 p.m. Tuesday. Residents will receive one case per car.

Residents can also bring their own containers and fill them with an unlimited supply of water at Bailey Station Elementary in Collierville until 7 p.m.