While the Tri-State dealt with its third consecutive day of sub-zero temperatures, the Northern Kentucky Water District (NKWD) said it handled around 100 complaints.NKWD informed WCPO 9 News they received 97 calls in a single day, more than half of the 175 calls into the utility since the start of 2025. That number is almost the entire amount of freeze-out calls the utility received in all of 2024, according to NKWD. Barry Miller, NKWD's customer service manager, said the intense winter cold is to blame. "The longer that cold spell lasts, the worse it gets as far as calls coming in," said Miller.A team is sent to the customer's home to determine the problem. WCPO met with Amanda Brown, NKWD's customer service field representative foreman, and her coworker as they were thawing out a meter in Ludlow, Kentucky. Brown and her partner removed the frozen meter, thawed out the ice, replaced it with a new meter, added foam insulation and sealed the meter with a pile of snow, adding another layer of protection. As WCPO 9 first reported in December, the utility uses snow as another form of protection and warmth, since it covers the lid of the water meter. As the team prepared for freezes last year, tips included residents tracking the temperature inside their houses and being aware of the location of their valves. If someone is struggling to get their water running and thinks it may be due to ice on their meters, Miller recommends using some tools already in your home. "Obviously, a source of heat would be a heat tape with a wire. They have like a wire in that tape that kind of heats the pipe up. The other items to use ... a hair dryer, a lot of people use that. Some people will open the cupboard doors or closet doors to allow that heat to get into that little space depending on what situation you have," said Miller. In an emergency, NKWD always recommends calling the utility at 859-578-9898 or finding more information online.