All customers in the impacted area are back in water service, but they must continue boiling water

On Monday, May 29, DC Water sampled the drinking water from five locations in the area of Northeast D.C. currently under a boil water advisory. These samples are being analyzed at DC Water’s laboratory. The second round of sampling occurred today and will be analyzed using a more rapid test. Test results from the second round of sampling should be available tomorrow. If both samples are clear, DC Water will lift the current boil water advisory, possibly as early as mid-morning on Wednesday May 31.

On Sunday May 28, two separate valve issues and a water main break created an unanticipated chain of events, resulting in a system pressure drop. Out of an abundance of caution, and in consultation with EPA Region 3 (the Authority’s regulatory body) and coordination with DC Homeland Security and Emergency Management (HSEMA), DC Water issued a boil water advisory public notification.

DC Water coordinated with elected officials, DC Health and District agencies. A WEA alert and other alerting systems were used to notify the public. The advisory was distributed to media outlets and to those individuals who have signed up to receive news alerts. Most local news outlets are covering the incident. DC Water directly alerted customers in the impacted area by email, text and phone, and is also employing social media, its website and NextDoor to further inform the public.

DC Water issued the Boil Water Advisory in the evening of Sunday, May 28. DC Water advised customers to boil water first before using it for drinking or cooking if they are in the impacted area. This includes the neighborhoods of Fort Lincoln, Woodridge, and Langdon. The impact area is generally:

East of Montana AvenueWest of Eastern AvenueSouth of Rhode Island AvenueNorth 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 impacted area of this advisory. Customers in the affected area should boil water used for drinking and cooking. Customers outside this area can continue normal water use.

Additional information will be provided as soon as it is available.

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.

Following is information as it was provided in the initial Boil Water Advisory.

DRINKING WATER ADVISORY

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 that are or have had loss of water pressure on Sunday, May 28, 2023. 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 Fort Lincoln, Woodridge, and Langdon. The impact area is generally:

East of Montana AvenueWest of Eastern AvenueSouth of Rhode Island AvenueNorth 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:

DrinkingBrushing teethPreparing and cooking foodWashing fruits and vegetablesPreparing infant formulaMaking iceGiving water to pets

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

On the evening of Sunday, May 28, 2023, DC Water received a number of calls from customers in Northeast DC who were experiencing low or no water pressure. DC Water is still investigating the cause and working to restore system pressure.
Due to the loss of pressure in the system, it may have been possible 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 will collect 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 Tuesday, May 30.

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.