DC Water Issues Boil Water Advisory for Customers in Some Neighborhoods of Northeast DC

The District of Columbia Water and Sewer Authority (DC Water) is issuing a Boil Water Advisory today for some customers after a temporary loss of pressure in the late afternoon of August 4, 2021. DC Water advises customers to not drink or cook with their water without boiling it first if they are in the impact area which includes the neighborhoods of Edgewood, Brookland, Fort Lincoln, Woodridge, Queens Chapel, Michigan Park and North Michigan Park. The impact area is generally:

• East of North Capitol Street
• West of Eastern Avenue
• South of New Hampshire Avenue
• North of New York Avenue

DC Water advises customers to search their address on the interactive map or call the 24-Hour Command Center at (202) 612-3400 to determine if they are in the impact area of this advisory. Customers in the impacted area should boil water used for drinking and cooking. Customers outside this area can continue normal water use.

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. This advisory will remain in place until follow-up testing confirms the water is safe to drink.

Customers in the impacted area should:
• Discard any beverages and ice made before and during this advisory.
• 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:
• Drinking
• Brushing teeth
• Preparing and cooking food
• Washing fruits and vegetables
• Preparing infant formula
• Making ice
• Giving water to pets

*Do not use home filtering devices in place of boiled or bottled water.

In the late afternoon of Wednesday, August 4, 2021, crews closed valves in the area of 13th Street and Spring Road, NW in an effort to isolate a leak on a 36' water transmission line to make repairs. Subsequently, DC Water received a number of calls from customers in Northeast DC who were experiencing low or no water pressure.

System pressure was restored within the hour and service has been fully restored.

Due to the loss of pressure in the system, it may have been for bacteria or other disease-causing organisms to enter the water through cracks, breaks or joints in the distribution system.

Bacteria and other disease-causing contamination such as viruses and parasites can cause symptoms such as diarrhea, cramps, nausea, headaches, or other symptoms. They may pose a special health risk for infants, young children, some of the elderly and people with severely compromised immune systems.

The symptoms above are not only caused by microbes in drinking water. If you experience any of these symptoms and they persist, you may want to seek medical advice. People at increased risk should seek advice about drinking water from their health care providers.

We have no information that the water was contaminated by this incident, but issue this advisory as a precaution while we test the water. DC Water is currently collecting samples in the impacted area. The advisory will be lifted when tests on two consecutive days show no bacteria are present and all customers can continue normal water use, which we anticipate will be on Saturday, August 7.

Please share this information with all other people who drink this water, especially those who may not have received this notice directly (for example, people in apartments, nursing homes, schools, and businesses). You can do this by posting this notice in a public place or distributing copies by hand or mail.

Customers with water quality questions should 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.).

Information is also available at www.dcwater.com and Bilingual FAQs are provided at www.dcwater.com/boilwaterFAQ.

Este aviso y más información están también disponibles en www.dcwater.com, y preguntas frecuentes bilingües se encuentran en www.dcwater.com/boilwaterFAQ.

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