WASHINGTON β The District of Columbia Water and Sewer Authority (DC Water) announced Friday that parts of the District are under a Boil Water Advisory.
"This is a precautionary notice to customers in the impacted area to boil water that may be ingested due to water of unknown quality in this localized area of the system," the advisory reads. "Do not drink the water without boiling it first. This advisory will remain in place until follow-up testing confirms the water is safe to drink."
What areas are impacted by the Boil Water Advisory
Click here if you cannot see the interactive map below or call the 24-Hour Command Center at (202) 612-3400 to determine if you are in the impact area of this advisory.
Customers who live outside of the impacted areas are clear to use water as normal, DC Water says.
Neighborhoods impacted include parts of:
- Colonial Village
- Shepherd Park
- North Portal Estates
- Walter Reed
- Takoma
- Brightwood
- Manor Park
- Lamont Riggs
- Queens Chapel
- Fort Totten
- Pleasant Hill
- Brightwood Park
- Crestwood
- Petworth
- Rock Creek Park
- Hawthorne
- Barnaby Woods
- Chevy Chase
- North Cleveland Park
- Forest Hills
- Van Ness
- Cleveland Park
- Woodley Park
- Massachusetts Avenue Heights
- Woodland-Normanstone Terrace
What to do during a Boil Water Advisory
If you live in an impacted area, DC Water says to boil any water before using it to drink or cook.
Customers in the impact area should follow this guidance at this time:
- Discard any beverages and ice made before Friday, January 19, 2024 at 11 am.
- Run cold water until clear (if discolored) prior to boiling.
- Run cold water for 2 minutes if known sources of lead are present prior to boiling.
- Bring water to a rolling boil for 1 minute and let it cool.
- Store cooled water in a clean, covered container.
Cooled, boiled water or bottled water should be used for:
β’ Drinking
β’ Brushing teeth
β’ Preparing and cooking food
β’ Washing fruits and vegetables
β’ Preparing infant formula
β’ Making ice
β’ Giving water to pets
*Do not use home filtering devices in place of boiled or bottled water.
Why the Boil Water Advisory was issued
People who live in Northwest called DC Water to complain of low to no water pressure Friday afternoon.
The loss of water pressure in the distribution system can cause backpressure, back-siphonage, or a net movement of water from outside the pipe to the inside through cracks, breaks, or joints in the distribution system that are common in all water systems. That lack of water pressure could result in fecal contamination or other disease-causing organisms getting into the system and pose a health risk to customers.
Bacteria-contaminated water can lead to viruses and parasites that can cause symptoms such as diarrhea, cramps, nausea, headaches, or other symptoms and pose a health risk to infants, young children, some of the elderly, and people with severely compromised immune systems.
It is unclear what is causing the loss in water pressure at this time. Once the pressure issue is addressed, the water will be tested. There is no evidence as of 6 p.m. that the water was contaminated but the advisory was issued as a precaution.
When the Boil Water Advisory be lifted
The Boil Water Advisory will be lifted when tests on two consecutive days show no bacteria are present and all customers go back to using water normally, meaning the advisory may be lifted as early as January 21.
Questions?
Anyone who is looking for more information may contact the Department of Water Quality at (202) 612-3440 (Monday-Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.).
All other questions should be directed to DC Water Customer Service at (202) 354-3600 (Monday-Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.), the 24-Hour Command Center at 202-612-3400 or the Office of Marketing and Communications at (202) 787-2200 (Monday-Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.).
Additionally, more information is available at www.dcwater.com.
For more information regarding drinking water, call the EPA Safe Drinking Water Hotline at 1-800-426-4791.
Impacts
Forrest Hill Senior Living along Connecticut Avenue told WUSA9 they didn't lose water or heat, but did get notified that they were under a boil water advisory.
There was however some confusion. The image tweeted out by DC Water indicated they did fall under the advisory area, but the interactive map that the CEO pulled up on her phone, showed that initially they did not.
"My concern looking at this is these are two very different maps so as a provider here in the district which map do we go by?" asked Tina Sandri, the CEO of Forest Hills of DC.
She told WUSA9 they were not going to take any chances.
"We've got bottles we've got large jugs so we have enough to sustain our community for a number of days," said Sandri.
Down the street, residents were grateful the water had been restored.
"I noticed that the water pressure was really low it was just a trickle," said Sarah Maraschky.
She told WUSA9 that her building kept her and her neighbors informed throughout the day and had told them heat could be impacted.
She says the water was restored a few hours later, and it didn't appear the heat was ever impacted.
Less than a mile away outside the Embassy of Bangladesh, DC Water crews were hard at work trying to figure out the source of a water leak.
People at the Embassy told WUSA9 that the water and heat had been restored as of 5 p.m., however they hadn't had either since 10:30 a.m. Friday.
As of 10 p.m. on Friday, a spokesperson for DC Water told WUSA9 it was still unclear what caused the issues.
The spokesperson said "We were able to restore service to customers this evening by pumping water into the impacted area from other parts of the system. We will be flushing the pipes and taking samples to confirm the water is safe before lifting the advisory."
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