Boil advisory issued for all customers in District of Columbia

(DC WATER) – The District of Columbia Water and Sewer Authority (DC Water) issued a Boil Water Advisory today for all customers in the District of Columbia, as well as the Pentagon, Arlington National Cemetery and Reagan National Airport, due to a drop in water supply from the Washington Aqueduct. This is a precautionary notice to all customers to boil water that may be ingested due to water of unknown quality. Customer should not drink the water without boiling it first. This advisory will remain in place until follow-up testing confirms the water is safe to drink.

On Wednesday, July 3, 2024, DC Water was notified by the Army Corps of Engineers Washington Aqueduct that due to turbidity the Dalecarlia Water Treatment Plant reduced production and all water treatment operations were being conducted at the McMillan Treatment Plant. The current water treatment must be adjusted to meet current water demand for all our customers. To ensure there is enough water for firefighting activities, the Aqueduct resumed pumping water from the Dalecarlia Treatment Plant Wednesday evening. We anticipate the water could have increased turbidity and therefore providing this cautionary boil water advisory.

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Turbidity as a measure of the cloudiness of water as described by the EPA. It is used to indicate water quality and filtration effectiveness (such as whether disease-causing organisms are present). Turbidity has no health effects. However, turbidity can interfere with disinfection and provide a medium for microbial growth. Turbidity may indicate the presence of disease-causing organisms. These organisms include bacteria, viruses, and parasites that can cause symptoms such as nausea, cramps, diarrhea and associated headaches. They may pose a greater health risk for infants, young children, the elderly, and people with severely compromised immune systems.

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