TPD Needs Water Donations for Reform Residents

The Tuscaloosa Police Department is calling for donations from the community to help residents in Reform who are still without running water.

Water availability has been a problem in Reform for nearly all of February. The issues started when a car accident wiped out the city's entire water supply. City Engineer Jonathon Bonner told Tim Reid of CBS 42 that 300 customers were without water at the time of the incident in early February, including the local elementary school.

“We have a system that has lots of leaks in it. This past weekend someone with a car hit one of the city fire hydrants and it totally drained the entire city water system. Drained all the water out of the system. We are trying to locate where we have leaks in the system then start repairing those leaks so we can gain water back in the tank,” Bonner said in an interview with CBS 42.

Things were made worse when last week, a major winter storm overtook the state of Alabama, and many communities – including Reform – were unable to withstand the impact cold temperatures had on water lines and power grids. While crews have been working to fix the system and restore services as quickly as the weather will allow, residents are still struggling.

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TPD issued a call for water donations Wednesday morning on its Facebook page. The post indicated that Reform residents "need gallon jugs of distilled water and bottles of drinking water."

Buffalo Rock, Walmart and Lowe's in Northport already donated several cases of water to get the drive started.

According to Pickens County EMA Director LaKeitha Bell, the Alabama Forestry Commission provided a 5,000-gallon non-potable water tanker to Reform earlier this week as well. Portable showers are being provided. Officials are still attempting to identify all water main breaks and repair them.

According to TPD spokesperson Stephanie Taylor, officers will be collecting water through Friday, or at least until their truck bed and trailer are completely full.

To donate, visit the TPD temporary headquarters (located at 2501 Hargrove Road E) between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. To reach out with questions, message the TPD Facebook page here.

The Tuscaloosa Thread will update this story with final donation amounts and when the delivery is planned. Stay tuned.