A boil water advisory issued in Northeast D.C. on Thursday was lifted for all neighborhoods on Sunday morning.
All residents can use tap water for all purposes, DC Water announced.
“DC Water lifted the boil water advisory after tests confirmed that drinking water meets all water quality safety standards,” a statement from DC Water said.
Bacteria were found in one sample on Friday but not found in subsequent samples on Saturday and Sunday, DC Water said.
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Residents in areas where the boil water advisory was in effect should run their taps until the water comes out clear, and then leave it running for 10 minutes. Running the tap will clear any stale water out of the pipes. After that, residents can use their water normally, without boiling or special precautions, DC Water says. Any ice or food made with water that was not boiled during the advisory should be discarded.
DC Water issued the advisory on Thursday after a pipe leak caused a drop in water pressure, which can sometimes lead to elevated levels of E. coli or coliform bacteria.
Crews repairing a pipe leak near 13th Street and Spring Road NW Wednesday afternoon closed valves, then some customers reported a loss of water pressure. The pressure was restored within an hour, DC Water said.
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The loss of pressure may have allowed “bacteria or other disease-causing organisms” to enter pipes.
DC Water said Friday it collected water samples at 10 locations in the impacted area and all of the samples were negative for E.coli while nine of the samples were negative for coliform bacteria.
However, one sample tested positive for coliform bacteria, DC Water said, which extended the advisory. Coliforms are bacteria that are naturally present in the environment and are used as an indicator that other, potentially harmful, bacteria may be present, according to DC Water.
The original area impacted was east of North Capitol Street, west of Eastern Avenue, south of New Hampshire Avenue and north of New York Avenue, DC Water said. That included the Providence Health System, HSC Pediatric System, Howard University School of Divinity and some buildings on the Catholic University campus.
Here's an FAQ with more information from DC Water.
Residents were advised that bacteria or other contaminants could cause diarrhea, cramps, nausea, headaches, or other symptoms, and pose a greater risk or babies, young children, some elderly people and people with severely compromised immune systems.
D.C. previously was under a boil water advisory in July 2018 that affected a large area and an estimated 34,000 DC Water customers. The advisory was lifted after two days.
Stay with NBC Washington for more details on this developing story.
