DC Water issued a boil water advisory for customers in parts of Northwest and Northeast over the weekend. The advisory was lifted Sunday for all customers after tests confirmed the drinking water was safe to use.
People in the affected area were advised not to drink, cook, brush their teeth, wash fruits and vegetables, make ice or make baby formula with their water without boiling it for one minute first.
Check this map to see if your home was in the impacted area.
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DC Water said it received reports of low or no water pressure on Friday. The loss of pressure may have led to contamination and bacteria in the water. More than 19,000 customers were affected.
“It's a contained system under pressure, under normal circumstances. But if the pressure drops, there's always that possibility that some water or dirt or other material might get in through cracks or joints, that sort of thing. So as a precaution, we issued the boil water advisory,” John Lisle, a spokesperson for DC Water, said.
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At around 4:15 p.m. Friday, the agency said it was able to restore the pressure in the system by pumping water in from other parts of D.C.’s water system, but still needed to collect and test samples to confirm there were no bacteria.
DC Water investigated whether a water main break around 31st Street NW and Aberfoyle Place NW in Barnaby Woods was to blame for the loss of pressure.
Customers in the impacted were advised to follow this guidance from DC Water:
- Discard any beverages and ice made after 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.
The advisory was a precautionary measure while DC Water ran tests on the seven water samples collected Friday evening and Saturday morning. The first round of samples was processed on Saturday morning, the second on Sunday morning.
Customers were told early Sunday they could resume normal water after tests showed no bacteria.
Before resuming use, DC Water said customers should run cold tap water for 10 minutes and discard any food, beverages or ice prepared with water not boiled during the advisory.
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