WASHINGTON — The Boil Water Advisory has been lifted for D.C. as of Thursday morning. Officials confirmed that drinking water provided by the Washington Aqueduct never deviated from U.S. EPA water quality standards.
The advisory was put into place late Wednesday night for DC Water customers in the District of Columbia, as well as the Pentagon, Arlington National Cemetery and Reagan National Airport. Shortly after DC Water issued the advisory, Arlington County also issued a notice due to the same incident.
"This is a precautionary notice to all customers to boil water that may be ingested due to water of unknown quality," DC Water said in a press release. "Customer should not drink the water without boiling it first."
Algae is to blame for the advisory that impacted vast swaths of the Metro area, including all of the District of Columbia and much of northern Virginia early today.
Upon noticing the increase in algae and resulting turbidity, Washington Aqueduct staff implemented treatment solutions to help meet supply demands. They also added EPA-authorized copper sulfate and sodium permanganate to combat algae in the Washington Aqueduct’s reservoirs.
The algae found in the water was green algae which is not toxic and poses no threat to the public. The advisory was put in place as a precaution. Authorities say the water is safe, but the incident is the largest algae impact they have ever seen.
But the algae bloom in the Potomac river that caused all this is not over and may be yet another sign of climate impacts to come, because such blooms are fueled by low water and heat conditions.
The green algae to blame is called Oocystis is not toxic but it clouds water. Cloudiness is called turbidity. The condition can cripple water treatment.
Col. Estee Pinchasin of the US Army Corps of Engineers which supplies more than a million people in D.C., Arlington and parts of Fairfax County from the Potomac Aqueduct explained the boil water advisory came as a precaution at about 10 p.m. Wednesday as a precaution.
Engineers scrambled to add chemicals to the water to control the algae. The treatment worked and the precautionary order was lifted at 7:30 am.
“In this case, we never fell out of compliance, which is, which is what we were concerned would happen," Pinchasin said. "The entire utility industry and all our partners are looking at this and monitoring it closely and definitely looking at the impacts of climate change that it has on algae blooms,” she added.
Since the water never fell out of EPA compliance during testing, DC Water was able to lift the boil water advisory once water levels returned to normal within 24 hours. Typically, when a Boil Water advisory is issued and harmful toxins are found, officials can not lift the advisory until tests come back negative for two consecutive days.
Coincidentally, the last time the entire district was placed under a boil water advisory was on the 4th of July, in 1996 and it lasted an entire week, according to Mel Tesema, Washington Aqueduct Operations Manager.
The Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission (WSSC) released a statement shortly after the alert was issued saying the Boil Water Advisory did not impact WSSC Water customers in Montgomery and Prince George’s counties.
What To Do
DC Water customers are advised to:
• Discard any beverages and ice made after 9 p.m. on Wednesday, July 3, 2024.
• Run cold water 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
• Washing dishes by hand
• Giving water to pets
Additionally, DC Water says customers should not use home filtering devices in place of boiled or bottled water.
Dishes, Landry & Ice
Arlington County released tips to keep in mind when under a boil water advisory:
- Use boiled water (follow the steps above) that has cooled or bottled water for preparing and cooking foods. This includes:
- Washing fruits and vegetables
- Preparing coffee, tea, and lemonade
- Washing food prep areas
- Do not use ice from ice trays, ice dispensers, or ice makers
- Throw out all ice made with tap water.
- Laundry is safe to do as usual
- Dishwashing — Use disposable plates, cups, and utensils, if possible. If you do not have disposable dishes, follow the instructions below
- Household dishwashers generally are safe to use if the water reaches a final rinse temperature of at least 150 degrees or if the dishwasher has a sanitizing cycle.
- To wash dishes by hand:
- Wash and rinse the dishes as you normally would using hot water.
- In a separate basin, add 1 teaspoon of unscented household liquid bleach for each gallon of warm water.
- Soak the rinsed dishes in the water for at least one minute.
- Let the dishes air dry completely before using again.
Customers with questions can contact DC Water Customer Service at (202) 354-3600 (Monday-Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.) or the 24-Hour Command Center at 202-612-3400.
What If I Drank The Water Already?
Some people are more vulnerable to contaminants than others if harmful microorganisms did manage to get into the system, including people with weakened immune systems, such as people with cancer undergoing chemotherapy, organ transplant patients, people with HIV/AIDS or other immune system disorders, some elderly, and infants.
If you consume the water and experience gastrointestinal illness symptoms, such as diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, abdominal cramps, fever, and sometimes headaches, rash, and paralysis, officials say you should see your family physician or healthcare provider.
Do you have a news tip on this story or any other story? We want to hear from you. Tell us about it by emailing newstips@wusa9.com.
MORE WAYS TO GET WUSA9
DOWNLOAD THE WUSA9 APP
Apple App Store: WUSA9 News on Apple
Google Play Store: WUSA9 News on Android
HOW TO ADD THE FREE WUSA9+ APP TO YOUR STREAMING DEVICE
ROKU: add the channel from the ROKU store or by searching for WUSA9.
For both Apple TV and Fire TV, search for "WUSA9" to find the free app to add to your account. Another option for Fire TV is to have the app delivered directly to your Fire TV through Amazon.
SIGN UP TO RECEIVE WUSA9 NEWSLETTER
Subscribe to our daily WUSA9 Newsletter for top stories from WUSA9 curated daily just for you. Get content and information right now for can’t-miss stories, Commanders content, weather, and more delivered right to your inbox.