WSSC lifts boil water advisory, urges precautions

BY SUSIE CURRIE AND REBECCA BENNETT — Updated on September 5 at 12:38 a.m.  WSSC has lifted its Boil Water Advisory for Hyattsville and nearby communities following a second consecutive day of testing that found no contamination in water lines affected by the water main break on Tanglewood Drive on Tuesday.

However, the agency issued a series of guidelines for its customers to flush their water lines prior to drinking water straight from the tap:

• WSSC suggests customers run all cold water taps for five minutes. If you have a single-lever faucet, set it to run the cold water.

• Begin with the highest faucet in your home or business and then open the other faucets one at a time, moving from your highest floor to your lowest.

• After five minutes, turn off your faucets in reverse order, from the lowest to highest. You should also flush your refrigerator’s water lines.

• Flushing your water lines will lower the risk of potential contamination that is created whenever a water main is depressurized because of a break.

• Customers should also dispose of any ice made since the precautionary BWA was put in place at 7:55 p.m. on Tuesday, September 2. The next three batches of ice should also be thrown out. Icemaker containers should be wiped clean with a solution of two tablespoons bleach to one gallon of water.

Updated on September 4 at 4:48pm

After a 59-year-old water main broke Tuesday evening in Edmonston, WSSC officials urged area residents to boil water before using it for the next 48 hours.  The utility company says the latest test late Thursday evening could clear water for regular use.

The advisory, issued at 7:55 p.m Tuesday., is for customers in Hyattsville, Bladensburg, Mt. Rainier, Cheverly, Chillum, Edmonston, Landover Hills, Glen Arden, Fairmount Heights, Seat Pleasant and Brentwood. Click here to see if your address is affected by the boil water advisory.

Water should be brought to a rolling boil for one minute and cooled before using to wash dishes, brush teeth, prepare food, make ice or drink.

View 9/2/14 Water Main Break in a larger mapThe 24-inch pipe ruptured near the intersection of Tanglewood Drive and Alternate Route 1, not far from Community Forklift.

But the Boil Water Advisory extended much further than the immediate neighborhood.  WSSC estimates 100,000 people have been affected by the incident.