Boil water advisory issued for upper Northwest DC neighborhoods as a precaution

A precautionary boil water advisory has been issued for several neighborhoods in upper Northwest D.C. Friday.

Nearly 5,000 D.C. Water customers in Chevy Chase D.C., Friendship Heights, Tenleytown, American University Park, Spring Valley, Cleveland Park, Woodley Park, Van Ness, Glover Park, Wesley Heights and Cathedral Heights are affected.

D.C. Water said a loss of water pressure happened on Friday.

“This is a precautionary notice to customers in the impacted neighborhoods to boil water prior to ingesting, due to water of unknown quality in this localized area of the system,” the utility said in a news release.

In addition to reports of low pressure from customers, D.C. Water said the Fort Reno Pumping Station had “fluctuating power issues, with a full loss of power impacting pumping capabilities around 12:30 p.m.” Crews restored the power just before 1:30 p.m. and continue to investigate what caused the problem.

Customers can search for their address on D.C. Water’s interactive map or call 202-612-3400 to find out whether the advisory impacts their neighborhood.

affected areas — The following areas are under a boil water advisory. (Courtesy D.C. Water)

The advisory will remain in place until follow-up testing confirms the water is safe to drink over two consecutive days.

D.C. Water is asking customers in the affected area to do the following:

Boil water before drinking it.
Throw away beverages and ice made after noon on Friday.
If water is discolored, run cold water until clear prior to boiling.
Run cold water for two minutes if known sources of lead are present prior to boiling. If possible first filter the water using an NSF/ANSI Standard 53 lead-certified and 42 for particle reduction filter, and second boil it.
Bring water to a rolling boil for one minute and let it cool.
Store cooled water in a clean, covered container.

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