Boil Water Advisory in Prince George’s County

Following a water main brake on Sunday WSSC has issued a Boil Water Advisory for customers in a section of southern Prince George’s County, including Fort Washington and National Harbor. Sunday afternoon on a 36-inch pipe that runs along Indian Head Highway. This The precautionary boil water alert affects approximately 23,000 customers who are in the area west of Indian Head Highway to the Potomac River, and from the Washington, D.C. line south to Piscataway Creek. You can check if your home or workplace is in the Boil Water Advisory area at this link. Just type your address into the search box.

There are two types of boil water advisories: precautionary and mandatory. A loss of positive water pressure in the system from a water main break might allow contamination to enter the water distribution system. This is the most common type of advisory, which is issued as a precaution until water samples are collected and analyzed to confirm that water quality has not been affected. A mandatory boil water notice is issued when contamination is confirmed in the water system. Customers are instructed to boil the water to kill bacteria and other organisms in the water, until the issue is resolved and the notice can be lifted. Contamination from organisms, such as bacteria, viruses and parasites, can cause symptoms, including nausea, cramps, diarrhea and associated headaches.

After a water main break water samples must be collected to test for bacteria in the distribution system. The first samples are taken on the day when the water main break has been fixed, and then another set of samples are taken in the next 24 hours. Two consecutive days of "clean" test results are required before the water advisory can be lifted. (The process takes 24 hours for test results to come back from the laboratory, so final lab results to lift an advisory can take several days after the event.) The Boil Water Advisory will remain in effect for a minimum of 48 hours to provide adequate time for water quality testing. Once water safety has been confirmed, WSSC will lift the BWA and will notify customers that the advisory has been lifted.

Boiling the water kills microorganisms such as bacteria, viruses, or protozoans that can cause disease. Boiling makes the tap water safe. Adding a tablespoon of household bleach such as Clorox to a sink full of tap water should be sufficient to treat the water used for washing dishes. Bleach should also be added to the water used for rinsing dishes. Allow dishes and utensils to air dry before reuse. Throw away uncooked food or beverages or ice cubes if they were made with tap water since Saturday night. If you live in the affected area, you should bring your water to a rolling boil for three minutes then cool it.

• Keep boiled water in the refrigerator for drinking

• Do not swallow water while you are showering or bathing

• Provide pets with boiled water after cooling

• Do not use home filtering devices in place of boiling or using bottled water; Most home water filters will not provide adequate protection from microorganisms

• Use only boiled water to treat minor injuries; When showering or bathing, avoid allowing the water to come in contact with an open wound

• Do not wash salad items with tap water during the period; Use bottled water or freshly boiled and cooled tap water