Residents across a large portion of Arlington County, Virginia, are being urged to boil their water after a water main break has left many without service and shuttered nine schools Friday morning.
The boil water advisory covers several neighborhoods, including parts of Alcova Heights, Arlington Heights, Arlington Mill, Arlington View, Barcroft, Claremont, Columbia Forest, Columbia Heights, Douglas Park, Forest Glen, Foxcroft Heights, Green Valley, Fairlington, Penrose and Shirlington.
The county has posted an interactive map of the affected area online.
While water pressure has been restored to most customers by Friday afternoon, repairs continued on a large 16-inch main break that occurred on South Four Mile Run Drive and South Walter Reed Drive. The Arlington Department of Environmental Services said the northbound and southbound lanes on South Walter Reed Drive will remain closed until the evening.
The break caused drops in water pressure across the county, and the recommendation to boil water before using it is a safety measure due to the depressurization in the water system.
County authorities recommend bringing water to a rolling boil for at least one minute and then cooling for any water that is used for drinking, brushing teeth, washing fruits and vegetables and giving to pets.
The water is safe to use for showering and washing clothes.
The advisory will be in effect for at least 48 hours — until Sunday morning — under Virginia Department of Health requirements.
9 schools closed
The water main break caused multiple closures on Walter Reed Drive between South Four Mile Run Drive and South Monroe Street.
In Arlington, Walter Reed Dr btwn S Four Mile Run Rd & S Monroe St, extended closure expected for water main repair. Plan an alternate route now. Tune to 103.5 FM and https://t.co/Trjju7KegD for details on the 8s #dctraffic #vatraffic pic.twitter.com/5oLooEsFS2
— WTOP Traffic (@WTOPtraffic) June 7, 2024
A spokesperson for the department initially told WTOP about 500 people were affected by the water main break.
Due to the main break, Arlington Public Schools closed the following schools: Abingdon, Alice West Fleet, Arlington Career Center, Barcroft, Claremont, Hoffman-Boston, Montessori Public School of Arlington, Randolph and Wakefield. The district previously called a two-hour delay and no morning extended day for those schools and the Trades Center.
Below is a map of where the water main break took place.
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