Residents of Zavalla altering Thanksgiving plans due to water issues

NACOGDOCHES, Texas (KTRE) - Thanksgiving is Thursday, and residents in the city of Zavalla just got their water turned back on.

The City of Zavalla has spent nearly two weeks to fix the on again, off again water issues. Today, city officials said the water is restored, but many residents are still altering their holiday plans in case they lose water again.

People all over the country are prepping and preparing for the Thanksgiving meals they will serve tomorrow. However, residents of Zavalla are worried whether they will have water to complete their meals and are altering plans to combat the issues.

Gina Lowe said she’s using bottled water to cook her meal.

“I make sweet potato pies every year and 15 cups of sweet potatoes and I’ve had to use 15 bottles of water to boil my potatoes,” Lowe said.

Lowe said she has family coming to her house tomorrow.

“My son called last night and said, ‘Mama are you going to be able to handle this with no water?’ I said, ‘well baby right now we have water, but you never know when you go to turn it on,” Lowe said.

Charlotte Boils said she’s been cooking with the water she does have when she has it after boiling it, as well as bottled water and even got water from a spring to complete all the cooking. She said her family has moved their Thanksgiving to her son’s house.

“I’m baking and cooking and carrying it up there. I mean it’s just a lot of unnecessary trouble,” Boils said.

Sue Morrell, owner of the Eagles Nest restaurant in Zavalla, said she hasn’t had water at her house since Tuesday of last week, but the restaurant has had it off and on.

She said she has 20 people coming to her Thanksgiving meal.

“The restaurant will be closed so I’m probably going to bring my 20 people to the restaurant just to have a place for us all to sit, where we can wash dishes and warm stuff up and do what we have to do,” Morrell said.

City officials are asking residents to check their water and if they still don’t have it to call city hall. The city asks residents to conserve water and they are still under a boil water notice.

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