Lewisville joins Atmos in encouraging natural gas conservation

The city of Lewisville shared the following information issued by Atmos energy regarding the conservation of natural gas:

Demand for natural gas continues to be at unprecedented levels. In addition to service at homes and businesses, natural gas is used heavily by many plants to generate electricity for the statewide power grid. Atmos Energy urges all residents and businesses to continue to conserve energy to help maintain natural gas service for critical needs.

Recommendations from Atmos Energy include (not all recommendations will be possible for every customer):

• Set your thermostat to 68 degrees or lower.

• Businesses should minimize energy usage as much as possible.

• Lower the water heater temperature to 120 degrees.

• Never use an oven or a gas stovetop to heat your home.

• Unplug electronic devices and turn off lights that are not in use.

• Reduce shower time and avoid baths.

• Refrain from using large appliances such as a washer, dryer, oven, and dishwasher for the next few days. When in use, limit opening the oven door to prevent wasted energy.

• Keep the fireplace damper closed unless a fire is burning.

• Avoid using a natural gas fireplace, if possible.

• For those with a swimming pool, do not use the pool heater. Instead, run the pool pump during the coldest part of the day to circulate the water and prevent freezing.

Customers also are asked to protect natural gas meters at their home or business. Natural gas meters are weather-proof; however, to ensure that the meter keeps working smoothly, remove snow and ice from natural gas meters with a broom or brush. Never kick or chip snow and ice away with a hard object.

If you think you smell gas, act fast! Leave the area immediately and from a safe distance call 911 and the Atmos Energy emergency number at 866-322-8667.

For additional information, visit atmosenergy.com/safety/weather-safety

Water conservation

The city of Lewisville is experiencing an unprecedented water demand due to water breaks at residential and commercial properties.

In addition, an outage at a Dallas water plant has reduced the available supply of water in Lewisville. The city is taking emergency measures to maintain water service.

Residents are urged to aggressively conserve water at this time and throughout the day on Wednesday. No excess or unnecessary water should be used. You should continue to trickle water out of faucets to reduce the chance of additional frozen pipes.

Fire department and utility crews are actively working to identify and turn off broken water systems. If you notice leaks at any business or home, call 214-673-9809 or 214-673-9129.