Reduced boiling zone in northeastern and northwestern Washington



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People and businesses in parts of northwestern and northeastern Washington should continue to not drink water from their taps until it is boiled because that she could have been contaminated. approximately 34,000 residences and businesses were affected. But after a mid-morning press conference, the affected area is now smaller.

The warning arrived Thursday night, the agency saying that residents should "boil their water to cook and drink until further order" if they live in certain areas.

[What you need to know about the D.C. water advisory]

The warning applied to those who live in much of the upper city, Midtown and Georgetown and on the eastern edge of the district. But by mid-day, officials said that a revised and interactive map indicated companies and residents of the affected area. The impact was mainly in the neighborhoods of Brookland, Mount Pleasant, Columbia Heights, Foxhall and parts of Georgetown

Customers from the remaining affected areas are encouraged to boil their water. they experience low water pressure. They are also advised to boil their water if they do not have water after 8:30 pm. July 12th.

As a precaution, do not rely on a filter or water from any appliance connected to your water pipes. Customers must use boiled, cooled or bottled water for:
– Drinking
– Brushing Your Teeth
– Preparing and Cooking
– Making Ice Cream
– Preparing infant formula
pets

– DC Water (@dcwater) July 13, 2018

If customers do not have low water pressure and do not live not in the affected areas, they do not need to boil their water,

Officials said that they hope to be able to lift the boiling opinion maybe as early as Saturday morning.

UPDATE 7/13 12:15 (corrected date) We now have an interactive map for boiling water alert. Customers can enter their address to see if they are in the affected area: https://t.co/5w83atZso5

– DC Water (@dcwater) July 13, 2018

On Twitter DC Water says "There is NO CONFIRMED contamination of drinking water."

It says, "As a precaution, we advise customers to boil water because a loss of pressure in the piping system makes possible the contamination of the water." Press conference, DC officials said to have closed swimming pools and spreading parks in the affected areas. Warnings have been put in place in libraries not to drink in the fountains. Bottles of water were sent to summer schools and camps, authorities said.

D.C. The water website was struggling to handle the load of applications early Friday morning. Information can also be found on DC Water's Twitter site and @TapItMetroDC .

At one point on Friday morning, as the warning spread in parts of downtown Washington and Georgetown, businesses in the area were varied. Sidwell Friends announced the closure of its campus at noon Friday because of the problem of water.

On Twitter, Open City – a cafe of the Washington National Cathedral on Wisconsin Avenue NW – said that "

A sign on the front door of Tryst – a cafe by Adams Morgan – warned customers that they could not serve tea or coffee. He continues, "But hey, we still have alcohol!"

At the Northwestern Washington National Zoo, located in the affected area, authorities reported using water from A reserve water tank of 28,000 gallons.

Visitors: Please note that @dcwater ? issued a precautionary boil warning for much of the District of Columbia, including the area surrounding the zoo. The water fountains of the park will be closed until further notice.

– National Zoo (@NationalZoo) July 13, 2018

Officials said that the opinion of boiling water will be lifted when they "will determine the water" DC Water said in a statement that customers would be "immediately notified when notice would be lifted."

The problem occurred around 8:30 pm Thursday, when an open valve at the pumping station of Bryant Street caused a loss of pressure in some parts of the distribution system for about an hour, DC Water said in a statement

DC Water indicated that the pressure dropped to 40 pounds per inch square of about 95 psi.The loss of pressure made it possible "for the contaminants to enter the water," said officials.As a precautionary measure, residents said that residents should boil their water.

The problem at l & # 3 The treatment plant was set in about 66 minutes and the valve pressure was restored, said D.C. Water. The officials said that they are investigating what caused the opening of the valve.

The notice to boil the water is likely to be in effect for the next day or two days, said D.C. Water officials. They said that they will take test samples over the next two days.

"The pressure drop creates a condition by which a contaminant could enter the system," said Pamela Mooring, spokesperson for D.C. Water. "When the pressure drops, it creates a scenario in which contamination could enter."

"We do not know if anyone has penetrated," said Mooring. So she said that's why "we ask people to take precautions."

Samples will be taken from the fire hydrants and pipes and sent to a laboratory for testing. Individual tests at home and in the companies will not be done. According to Mooring, it usually takes 24 to 48 hours to perform the tests and retrieve the results.

The agency sent a Twitter alert on Thursday night and gave updates as teams worked to resolve the problem. Some local residents have complained that the district government has not sent a wider emergency alert via social media or email or telephone alert systems on Thursday night that the ############################################################################## The incident was unfolding.

On Twitter, Polina Wells wrote "Why was there not a mbad emergency notification? A mishandled communication for something also serious. "

Others have written on social media that they were not so worried at that time.

Riley Panko wrote on Twitter "The drawback of not having my office drinking water for a day definitely puts a little more perspective on the fact that Flint, Michigan n & # 39; There has been no drinking water in their town for 4 years. "

DC On Friday, water officials defended their way of dealing with the problem, stating that they had to go through a "process" to badess the situation and determine the number of businesses and homes affected before sending alerts

I want to send an alarm to people who have not been touched, said David L. Gadis, CEO of DC Water

He added, "We did everything that was right and in our power.

The District's Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Management said that they had sent more than 100,000 Twitter messages to alert residents in the area affected by the need to boil water. water

. do not drink it. Even water for a coffee maker needs to be boiled first, as it may not reach the boiling temperature in some coffee machines, officials said.

D.C. Water officials said that if residents are worried about their health or that of their family members, they should consult a health professional.

A DC Water official says he does not remember A water expert – Sridhar Vedachalam – director of the Northeast Midwest Institute in Washington who does research on drinking water says the recent problem is "no something to fear but something to watch closely. "

Vedachalam said that the problem of the valve is something that is not uncommon in developed countries where the pressure in the system is lost.He said that the notice of boiling is put in place as a precaution in case microbes or sediments would have entered the system.

He said that DC Water's situation was "far from being" close to the problems that Flint, Mich. At worst, he said, tests once done show that there is E. coli or organisms and that these "can easily be removed." He said residents should "get feel comfortable and follow the precautions. "

If there is a more important and systematic problem of water line breaks or incidents where the system loses the pressure, he said that DC Water will have to do further research, but at this time,

Michael E. Ruane, Teo Armus, Fenit Nirappil and Reis Thebault contributed to the writing of this report.

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