PANGBURN, Ark. — After several days of below-freezing temperatures, some cities are seeing pipe problems as Arkansas begins to thaw out.
Pangburn, a city in White County with a population of 500, is under a boil order after finding two broken water pumps.
"The big snowstorm, we didn't seem to have the extreme temperature," Pangburn Mayor Mike Marsh said. "You know, the five and one degree."
The city was unscathed during the record-breaking snow in 2021. That's the last time they remember having such memorable winter weather.
But Pangburn will remember this year for something different – the failure of the water pumps.
"I think it is probably a combination of the extreme temperature and higher demand," Marsh said. "Then, the pumps going down kind of caused this perfect storm, should we say."
The city has two pumps that help get water to people. Last week, one of them ultimately failed.
"It sucked sand up in it from the river," Pangburn Water Commissioner Bill Nusbaum said. "It shut down."
The second water pump struggled to keep up with the high demand, and when the city found a replacement, it also broke.
Right now, the city uses a floating pipe in the river to prevent more sand from getting in the pipes.
Pangburn's boil order is expected to last for another week. In the meantime, residents can get free bottled water at the water offices.