Tag: Jerry Collins

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News News Blog

Shelby County Commission Wants to Study New Rules for Drilling Wells into Aquifer

TVA is replacing the Allen coal plant (above) with a new gas plant, and they’re looking at drilling wells into the Memphis Sand aquifer to cool that new plant.

The Shelby County Health Department has already issued three permits to the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) to drill wells into the Memphis Sand aquifer to access cooling water for its new gas-powered Allen Combined Cycle plant.

Two more permits for wells are being considered, but at a Shelby County Commission committee meeting on Wednesday morning, Commissioner Steve Basar asked the Health Department not to issue those permits without coming to the commission first. Basar and Commissioner Heidi Shafer also recommended the formation of a committee that would look at updating the codes for drilling wells into the aquifer — the source of the region’s drinking water.

“What was acceptable 10 to 20 years ago may not be acceptable now. We need to evolve and move on and change the way we’re doing things,” Basar said.

At that meeting, Bob Rogers, manager of the Health Department’s pollution control program, told the commission that current codes say that if a company or resident wants to drill a well and has the proper design and installation plan, the department generally issues a permit. He said there are some restrictions, including a restriction on water use for non-circulating systems, meaning the water is used and discarded.

At issue are the permits TVA has requested to drill into the Memphis Sand aquifer for up to 3.5 million gallons of water per day to cool the new, under-construction gas plant. In 2014, when the TVA approved plans for the Allen Combined Cycle gas plant that will replace the Allen Fossil coal plant in 2018, they said they’d be using wastewater from the nearby Maxson Wastewater Treatment Plant for its cooling water system.

But those plans have turned out to be too expensive, according to a report from TVA, since using wastewater would first require treatment due to pollutants in that water. The TVA looked a few alternatives  — either drilling five wells into the aquifer and pulling water directly from the ground, purchasing potable water from Memphis Light, Gas, & Water (MLGW), or some combination of the two. If potable water is purchased from MLGW, that water would come from both the Memphis Sands and the Fort Pillow aquifers, but the TVA environmental assessment report says MLGW cannot sell the TVA enough water to meet peak demand.

The TVA published a supplemental report on those proposals in April, but the entity did not seek public comment. That’s not required by law, but TVA did seek comments for its original report detailing the options for switching from a coal plant to a gas plant.

Scott Banbury, conservation program coordinator for the Tennessee Sierra Club, spoke at the county commission meeting, and he said those new codes should include public notice for drilling permits. 

At a Sierra Club-hosted panel discussion on the issue in August, MLGW President Jerry Collins told the crowd that if TVA had to take water from the aquifer, he’d prefer the entity buy potable water from MLGW rather than pump directly. Either way, it comes out of the aquifer, but Collins said a purchase from MLGW would allow for more oversight.

“That would keep your rates low, and we could monitor how much they’re using. Also, we take out the iron and add phosphate, which makes it much less corrosive,” Collins said at that panel meeting. 

At the Shelby County Commission committee on Wednesday, Tyler Zerwekh, administrator of environmental health services for the Health Department, revealed that the department has issued 25 well permits in the past 12 months, and that includes wells for residential and industrial use. In total, there are 841 quasi-public wells (meaning at least some of the water is for public use) in 641 locations. That does not include wells for residential use.

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News The Fly-By

MLGW’s 2015 Budget Allows For Additional Smart Meters and More

Memphis Light, Gas and Water (MLGW) has big plans for 2015. And the Memphis City Council’s approval of the utility’s $1.7 billion budget proposal last week will enable many of those plans to come to fruition.

A big chunk of that budget — $27 million — will go toward implementing the next phase of smart meter installation across Shelby County. In addition to being used to purchase 50,000 electric, gas, and water smart meters, that money will fund a telecommunications system, which will collect information transmitted from smart meters, as well as a data management system to administer all data sent from smart meters.

With the compressed natural gas (CNG) market evolving, MLGW will take $2 million from its 2015 budget to construct a new CNG public access filling station. Made from methane stored at a high pressure, CNG is a less expensive alternative for fueling vehicles than gasoline. The upcoming facility will be the third that MLGW has constructed and is slated to be located on Lamar.

MLGW President Jerry Collins said the 2015 budget will enable the company to continue to provide customers with the lowest combined utility rates of any major city in the country.

“We do a survey every year for a typical wintertime bill for residential customers, and we survey cities all across the country. And as we look at those numbers, MLGW quite comfortably has the lowest combined utility rates for electric, gas, and water,” Collins said. “We have developed a pretty good gap between us and the other major cities.”

MLGW will build a new CNG station in 2015.

MLGW is in the process of replacing a 25-year-old computer system. Slated to be finished next year, Collins said the total project costs $50 million and that $18.5 million will be used from next year’s budget to complete it.

“It’s basically all of the back office-type applications for computer systems, which includes things like general ledger, inventory, accounting, work order management, engineering design … It touches many aspects of our operations,” Collins said. “But we’re getting rid of an antiquated system and putting in a new state-of-the-art system, which ought to really save us a lot of time as we do our transactions in the future.”

Other things on MLGW’s list of plans include replacing old transformers at numerous electric substations throughout Shelby County and improving the piping and water treatment system at its Davis Pumping Station.

There will also be 28 infrastructure employees added to MLGW’s gas division to help maintain gas distribution to local homes and businesses.

One thing that won’t be implemented by MLGW in 2015 is a 35-cent monthly water rate increase for residential customers. Last week, the city council voted against MLGW’s request to do so.

The utility company requested the increase to counterbalance losing its largest water customer, Cargill. In January, the food, agriculture, and industrial product company is closing its corn milling facility in Memphis. The facility accounted for about five percent of MLGW’s water sales.

Due to the rate increase not passing, Collins said MLGW would be a little further in the hole financially in 2015 than anticipated. But aside from that, Collins is excited about what the new budget will bring for MLGW.

“There’s lots of good news,” Collins said. “We will continue to try to make sure that our customers get the best possible service at the lowest possible price. And we want to make sure that we have the cheapest utilities in the whole country.”

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News The Fly-By

Fly on the Wall 1343

Verbatim

Finally, after years of uncertainty regarding bathroom habits, the citizens of Memphis know where MLGW CEO Jerry Collins stands on the issue of public urination. When WREG ran a news story about some guy from East Memphis who took pictures of another guy from MLGW peeing in the street, Collins responded with unambiguous language. “If an employee was using the bathroom in public, it would be inappropriate and would be subject to disciplinary action.” Thanks to Channel 3 for finally clearing this up.

Hot Hair

Let’s face it. There comes a time in every person’s life when they must weigh the facts and determine whether or not they are going to buy some cheap and probably stolen hair from a street weave-hustler. In very few sentences, this police report from an attempted wig theft at Memphis’ Chic Beauty supply illustrates why buying hot hair is a bad idea: “Both suspects went to the rear of the store looking at wigs. Suspect Blair Crumes started stuffing her wig (The Straight Flush, valued at $30) down the front of her pants. Suspect Sarah Metcalf started stuffing her wig (The Niki Menaj, valued at $35) down the front of her pants. Both then went past the point of sale without paying for the wigs.” Remember people: Stolen hair is crotch-warmed hair. And nobody wants that.  

Timberlake Tweets

And speaking of stolen hair pieces, Justin Timberlake recently answered a Twitter critic who accused J-Tim of being a “bandwagon” Memphis Grizzlies fan. Timberlake’s response: “Uh … I’m from Memphis and I’m an owner. Anyone else? #WigSnatch.”

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News The Fly-By

Smart Meters Receive More Love Than Hate From MLGW Customers

When Memphis Light, Gas, and Water (MLGW) announced last year that it would be installing new digital smart meters to track electricity, gas, and water usage, a vocal group of opponents warned that the meters would lead to higher utility bills and an increased fire risk.

Memphis City Councilman Joe Brown even called the smart meters, which identify energy consumption in a more detailed manner than conventional meters, “a new form of communism.”

However, only 3.6 percent of customers in the 25,000 homes that have been offered smart meters in Shelby County have opted out, according to MLGW.

Smart meter

Ian Randolph is one of 1,000 MLGW customers who participated in the Smart Grid Demonstration Project, a pilot project that allowed participants to test electric smart meters from 2010 to 2012. The citywide smart meter rollout began in 2013.

Randolph has been hooked on the electrical device ever since.

“My bill has gone down over the couple of years that I’ve had it, because I’m able to track my electricity use better,” Randolph said. “Being able to keep up with my electricity use and have an update every so often has been a big help.”

In August 2013, the Memphis City Council approved a $10 million contract for MLGW to install 60,000 smart meters (individual ones for electricity, gas, and water) between December and June 2014.

Different from conventional analog meters, smart meters boast a communications component that enables MLGW to monitor a customer’s energy use remotely without having to physically read their meter.

The smart meters also allow the utility company to detect water leaks and power outages without a customer’s notification.

Smart Grid participants are the only MLGW customers currently able to track their energy use online through a personalized website. But all MLGW customers who received smart meters in late-2013 and mid-2014 will be able to view their consumption online by February 2015.

MLGW President Jerry Collins said the company has yet to receive complaints of higher bills from customers who have switched to smart meters.

“Smart meters give our customers more opportunities for saving energy and reducing their utility bills. At the end of the day, that’s one of the most important considerations, because we want to do things that directly benefit [them],” Collins said. “One of the big advantages of smart meters is that meter readers will never have to come to your home. You can leave your gates locked and dogs out, and that will give you a greater level of home security.”

Although 60,000 smart meters have been installed at residences throughout the county, there are more than one million that remain on the list. Collins said MLGW anticipates installing meters at all residences and businesses by 2020.

Approximately $27 million of MLGW’s 2015 budget will be dedicated to fully implementing smart meters countywide. The city council is slated to vote on MLGW’s budget request, which is more than $1.9 billion overall, on November 18th.

Anthony Durden also participated in MLGW’s Smart Grid Demonstration Project. He said switching to a smart meter helped him save money and increased his awareness of energy conservation.

“Prior to the smart meters, I was more reactionary versus being proactive,” Durden said. “I was focused on reducing my consumption after I received a $500 utility bill. I would definitely recommend these meters to other Memphians because I think it’s important for all of us to participate in any type of method to save energy. And I’m sure that they’ll appreciate lower utility bills.”

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Letters To The Editor Opinion

What They Said (October 39, 2014) …

CREDIT: Greg Cravens

Greg Cravens

About Toby Sells’ story, “Confederate Heritage Groups Vow to Fight Park Name Changes” …

Health Sciences Park, Mississippi River Park, and Memphis Park. Good Lord, how about just Tree Park, Grass Park, and Wino Park (let’s be real). Or since the Confederates surrendered Memphis after 15 minutes of battle, how about Slam Bam Thank You Ma’am Park.

CL_Mullins

About Les Smith’s At Large column, “Hot Water” …

Les Smith incorrectly stated that Roland McElrath, MLGW controller, was the man behind the prepared rate hike. Then he continued by criticizing Mr. McElrath’s previous record as a public servant. Smith complained of being blindsided with a rate hike. Smith’s article deserves a response to set the record straight.

Up until mid-September, we at MLGW were confident that we would not need to ask for a rate increase for next year in the electric, gas, and water divisions. Then on September 16th, Cargill announced it would close its plant on President’s Island on January 1, 2015.

Water utility costs reflect 84 percent fixed costs and only 16 percent variable or consumption costs. Since Cargill is by far our largest potable water customer, I knew as soon as Cargill made the closure announcement that MLGW could not sustain the $2 million per year loss of revenues to pay for fixed expenses. Absorbing the loss of Cargill revenues was not an option. I knew a small rate increase would be needed. How small? Thirty-five cents (35 cents) per month for the average residential customer. This represents a 2.3 percent increase.

Despite this increase, MLGW’s water rates will still be the second-lowest of any major city in this country. In fact, MLGW’s combined electric, gas, and water rates will remain the lowest of any major city.

The announcement for the need for this small rate increase was appropriately made during our budget presentation to the MLGW Board on October 9th. Despite our breathtakingly low combined utility rates, MLGW is in excellent financial shape. MLGW has relatively little debt, excellent bond ratings, and a properly funded pension plan.

Our governing principle at MLGW is to always do that which is in the best interest of our customers as a whole. Although this includes keeping our rates low, it sometimes also includes a rate increase. It’s called fiscal responsibility.

Jerry Collins Jr., President & CEO

Memphis Light, Gas & Water

Les Smith incorrectly stated that I was the man behind the proposed rate hike. Then he continued by criticizing my previous record as a public servant by using inaccurate and faulty information to make his point. As the former finance director for the city of Memphis, I am compelled to address the inaccuracies in his article.

According to the city’s June 30, 2012 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report (CAFR), the city ended its fiscal year 2012 with a $5 million general fund operating surplus, not a $17 million deficit. This surplus was generated even after paying the employee bonuses referred to in Smith’s commentary.  

 There’s also another factual error. 

MLGW’s estimated revenue loss from the closure of the Cargill facility is $2.2 million, not $4 million.

As evidenced by our breathtakingly low combined utility rates, MLGW is committed to providing high quality, reliable service to our customers in the most cost efficient manner possible while also maintaining the financial integrity of the organization.

Roland McElrath, CPA, CMFO

About Jackson Baker’s Politics column, “Alexander, Bell in Heated Senate Race” …

Senator Lamar Alexander is at is again. He would have us forget he was the first secretary of education to suggest common core type standards. He backs the right to work law. He wants to kill Obamacare, but doesn’t say what would happen to the thousands of citizens who would lose their insurance, the ones with pre-existing conditions or the workers whose employers who do not offer health insurance.

Alexander has never voted against a pay raise for himself, but abhors the right of working people to organize. His “unselfish service” to the people of Tennessee has allowed him to become a multi-millionaire. Since entering government, he and his family have never been without a paycheck, vacation time, or health care, yet he is opposed to all those benefits for the poor and middle-class.

Jack Bishop

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Opinion Viewpoint

Hot Water in Memphis

It was one of those drop-the-microphone, Elvis-has-left-the-building moments that Memphis City Council meetings can sometimes produce: A frustrated councilwoman, Wanda Halbert, verbally blasted stoic Memphis Light Gas & Water President Jerry Collins with an observation that sounded familiar. During a discussion about the city-owned, nonprofit power company’s fees, Halbert said, “Memphis Light Gas & Water belongs to the city of Memphis. It doesn’t belong to Memphis Light Gas & Water. It feels like it does not belong to the City of Memphis. It’s almost like, somehow, you all have evolved into an island of your own!” She then exited the room without waiting for a response. No rebuttal was needed and none came.

Almost the exact description of MLGW’s operational procedures was uttered by our former “forever king,” Memphis Mayor Willie Herenton more than a decade ago. In 2003, Herenton roared, “MLGW is an island unto itself,” in accusing the utility of being wasteful and inaccessible to the needs of customers. Six years earlier, Herenton had tried mightily to convince council members to sell off what is universally acknowledged as the city’s most profitable asset.

Former Flyer columnist John Branston chronicled the story in great detail. Herenton hired a Philadelphia consultant named Rotan Lee, who, for the nice round figure of $150,000, produced a study of the utility’s effectiveness — making a case for privatizing all or parts of the utility, estimated at the time to be worth $800 to $850 million. Lee tried to make the case that community-owned utility companies could no longer be “natural monopolies” in a world where federal deregulation of utilities was becoming the norm. Lee concluded that such utility companies would, in the end, “lose the crucible of good will with their customer base.” In hindsight, Lee’s prediction would appear to rival those of Nostradamus.

Distrust of the utility’s intentions only heightened, when, just after receiving the tongue-lashing from Halbert and other skeptical members of the council, MLGW officials announced they would propose a 2 percent hike in residential water rates to make up for revenue projected to be lost when the Cargill company closes its corn-milling plant on Presidents Island in January 2015. MLGW officials said that Cargill accounted for 5 percent

of the water sold by the utility, leaving a $4 million revenue shortfall to make up. There had been no mention of the rate hike in the council meeting just two days earlier.

To add insult to injury, Cargill is walking away — without any financial penalty — on the four years that remain on a PILOT property tax freeze agreement issued by the city and county in 2010.

What should be even more worrying for MLGW customers is the fact that Roland McElrath is the man behind the plan for the utility’s proposed rate hike. McElrath became the utility company’s controller in 2012 after resigning his post, for the second time, as the city of Memphis finance director. This is the same career numbers-cruncher who, in 2011, assured city council members Memphis could afford to give its city employees Christmas bonuses because of a surplus created by cost-saving measures enacted during the prior fiscal year.

After the council passed a $6.2 million Santa offering, a sheepish McElrath recalculated. Oops. There was actually a $6 million deficit — a shortfall that later ballooned to $17 million — that required the council to dip into dwindling city reserves to cover the overall deficit. This should give all of us, particularly those struggling to pay their bills each month, plenty of reason for pause when it comes to MLGW’s plan to offset lost Cargill revenue.

When most companies lose a valued client, they don’t take it out on the good customers that remain with them. They buckle down and try harder to keep them happy. As MLGW customers, we appreciate the employees’ hard work and dedication whenever power outages hit the city. We appreciate their charity work. We appreciate their moratoriums on bill payments in extreme weather conditions. However, it’s their perceived arrogance and take-it-or-leave-it autonomy that spawns tirades like Halbert’s. Taxpayers pay the hefty salaries of the utility’s management. Aren’t we owed an open accounting of their billing procedures, rather than being suddenly blindsided with a rate hike?

Don’t we all live on the same island?

Les Smith is a reporter for WHBQ Fox-13 News.

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News The Fly-By

MLGW Sponsors Solar Car Race for Kids

This Saturday, on the rooftop of Beale Street Landing’s parking garage, kids from across Shelby County will race miniature cars using nothing but sunlight to power them.

The event is part of Memphis Light, Gas, & Water’s (MLGW) second annual A-Blazing Race competition, which gives young people in third through eighth grades a chance to enhance their skills in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). The event takes place August 16th from 8 a.m. to noon. It’s free and open to the public.

The initiative is MLGW President Jerry Collins’ brainchild. He said solar power is becoming more popular and the costs associated with it are becoming more affordable.

“Solar power is a green power source [that] works beautifully when the sun is shining,” Collins said. “Our solar car race promotes green power, and it educates youth about energy and teamwork. It’s a lot of fun.”

A participant in last year’s MLGW solar car race

About 40 kids attended an MLGW engineering workshop last month, where they were taught scientific principles regarding friction, aerodynamics, energy, and transmission. They were also taught the design process engineers utilize when creating a product.

Participating kids purchased a $24 model solar car kit that contains a solar panel and motor. They were given several weeks to use the kit along with other materials to design and build their model solar cars, which will operate completely on the conversion of sunlight into electricity.

As long as model cars are roughly 30 x 60 x 30 centimeters, kids can use anything from coke cans to plastic bottles to create their devices. For example, last year’s winning solar car was composed out of a Girl Scout cookie box.

Daniel Hochstein, project engineer for MLGW, said the solar panel collects energy from the sun, converts it into electricity, and transmits it to the model cars’ motors, enabling the wheels on the structures to turn, moving them forward.

Hochstein said he thinks learning to build model solar cars might pique kids’ interest in STEM-related careers.

“I think it’s important to have careers in those fields because it helps society as a whole to improve and advance, to problem solve, come up with new solutions, and new alternatives,” Hochstein said. “It’s part of the reason everybody has a cell phone now and that cars are so rampant … science, technology, engineering, and math over the years have developed new products that make living easier and more convenient.”

There will be two divisions for the event: One division will be for kids in the third through the fifth grades. The second division will be for kids in grades six through eight. Each team can consist of two to eight kids.

Model solar cars will race in a series of head-to-head elimination rounds on a 20-meter racecourse. Whoever completes the race in the shortest possible time will be crowned the winner.

MLGW spokeswoman Tamara Nolen said she thinks solar power is the future for utility companies. She also said youth participating in the A-Blazing Race competition could potentially heighten their chances of enjoying successful careers as adults.

“If we can catch them in an early age, after they’ve got the basics down, hopefully they can take it onto high school and college and hopefully start thinking about careers,” Nolen said. “Maybe [they could even] work for us one day at MLGW as an engineer.”

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News News Blog

More Than 7,000 MLGW Customers Remain Powerless

CREDIT: MLGW

MLGWunnamed.jpg

  • MLGW

Nearly 43,000 Memphis Light, Gas, and Water (MLGW) customers lost power after a cluster of thunderstorms traveled through the Memphis area yesterday.

Between 1:30 and 4 p.m. Thursday (June 5th), 42,797 homes and businesses throughout Shelby County experienced power outages after harsh winds associated with the thunderstorms damaged utility poles and power lines.

By Friday afternoon, MLGW crews had restored power for more than 34,000 customers. But there are still more than 7,000 customers without electricity.

MLGW President Jerry Collins said the area’s biggest circuits serving the highest number of customers were restored first. Circuits serving a smaller amount of customers are next in line.

“What we’re down to now are hundreds of small outages that affect one, two, three, four, five customers,” Collins said. “That’s going to take longer, because it’s a much slower process. We should have everybody back in business by Sunday midnight.”

Customers without power today and into the weekend are encouraged to stay hydrated and to seek shelter temporarily elsewhere, if necessary. MLGW recommends customers to keep survival kits ready for power outages and other service disruptions. These kits can include things such as bottled water, canned food, prescription medicines, flashlights, a radio, batteries, and a first-aid kit.

Considering that thunderstorms are in the weather forecast for Friday as well as scattered showers this weekend, restoration efforts could be slowed. Collins, however, assures that MLGW will do its best to fully restore power expeditiously.

“We have all crews working, and we have eight crews in from out of town to help us,” Collins said. “We’re going to go as fast as we can and try to get power restored just as quickly as possible for all the remaining customers.”

To report an power outage, customers should call (901) 544-6500.
Outage numbers can be tracked via MLGW’s outage map at mlgw.com/outagemap.

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News News Blog

MLGW Constructing $2 Million Compressed Natural Gas Facility

The price of conventional petroleum gas by the gallon has increased lately, but there’s an alternate route drivers can take to save a few dollars.

Compressed Natural Gas (CNG), made from methane stored at a high pressure, currently goes for $1.69 by the gallon locally. Memphis Light, Gas, and Water (MLGW) opened its first CNG public fueling station at its North Service Center (1130 Tupelo St.) this past July.

MLGW CNG-fueled truck

  • MLGW CNG-fueled truck

And the utility company is currently in the construction phase of a new $2 million CNG facility.

MLGW president Jerry Collins said the facility would be located at the company’s South Service Center (2981 South Center Road). It’s slated to open this July.

“It’ll have two islands, four lanes, [and] two high-flow nozzles, which will let the trucks fill up faster than what we currently have at the other facility,” Collins said. “The other aspect of the facility on the south side, it’ll let us expand our fleet of natural gas vehicles, so that vehicles stationed at the south work center can fill up [there].”

MLGW currently has 76 natural gas vehicles and more than 20 on order.

Collins said there’s been an increase in commercial and industrial vehicles using the CNG fueling station at the MLGW North Service Center.

“In March, we sold 10,000 gallons of compressed natural gas,” Collins said. “We’re seeing growth every month. When we build this new facility, we anticipate having three firms that have long haul tractor-trailer trucks to be filling up at the new station. Those three firms alone are going to be 20,000 to 40,000 gallons of CNG a month.”

The current price of CNG per gallon has only increased a dime since late last year. The price is anticipated to drop as the weather warms up locally.

According to the U.S. Department of Energy’s Alternative Fuel Data Center website, CNG powers about 112,000 vehicles in the country and roughly 14.8 million vehicles worldwide. CNG vehicles provide environmental benefits such as reduced pollution and lower levels of emissions. Some new vehicles are already designed to take CNG, but older models must be converted to use the fuel. It costs about $9,000 to modify a vehicle to run on natural gas.

With CNG per gallon about half the cost of conventional gas and more than half the price of diesel per gallon, Collins said CNG-fueled vehicles is “a trend growing rapidly” across the world.

Initially, it was stated that MLGW had plans of building public CNG fueling stations at all of its service centers. Collins now says the number of facilities they will build depends on how the market develops.

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News News Blog

MLGW President Talks Winter Storm Power Outage

MLGW_Winter_Storm_March_2__2014.jpg

The winter storm that hit Shelby County last Sunday evening caused extreme traffic delays, hazardous safety conditions, and thousands of households to lose power.

Memphis Light, Gas and Water president Jerry Collins said more than 60,000 MLGW customers experienced power outages due to the storm.

Jerry Collins

  • Jerry Collins

“We started getting a few calls Sunday afternoon, about 5 or 6 p.m. As soon as the calls started coming in, we started to begin the restoration process,” Collins said. “Our employees worked in very difficult circumstances all week. They worked in very cold temperatures [and] on very slippery surfaces, with all of the ice on the ground. In some cases, there were trees that had fallen, that were blocking roads and kept us from getting to some of the people that had lost power. It was difficult all around.”

As of today (March 7th), Collins said there are 12 MLGW customers still experiencing power outages. He said their power would be restored today.

Contributing factors to the massive power outage include strong winds and freezing rain that built up as ice on tree limbs, causing many trees to collapse onto power lines and utility poles.

“The best thing that we can do is to make sure that we maintain a very active tree-trimming program, so that we can minimize the effects of either an ice storm or a thunderstorm or straight-line winds from having trees and tree limbs fall on power lines,” Collins said. “We currently spend about $11 million a year just trimming trees along power lines. That needs to continue, so that we can hopefully minimize the impact of storms.”

Whenever someone experiences power outages, they’re encouraged to contact MLGW’s outage hotline at (901) 544-6500. The hotline will not only allow residents to report outages, but it also provides them with the latest information available on estimated times of restoration and how many other people in their area are also experiencing power outages.

It’s also important that residents have a plan in place for power outages that could occur during cold weather conditions. Families should make sure they have emergency kits in their homes, keep their faucets slightly dripping to prevent frozen water pipes, and have contact information for warming centers and relatives or close friends on hand.