WASHINGTON — A boil water advisory has been issued for about 10,000 Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission customers in parts of southern Prince George’s County, including Accokeek, and parts of Fort Washington and Piscataway.
WSSC says you should boil your water if you live in “areas east of Indian Head Highway, west of Piscataway Road, south of Palmer Road running down to the Charles County line.”
WSSC has a map of the affected area. You can put in your address to see whether you are affected.
The advisory comes after a 44-year-old, 12-inch water main broke Tuesday night.
While WSSC crews have isolated the affected section of the main that runs in a wooded area along Windbrook Drive and crosses Piscataway Creek in Brandywine, they have not found the break. The broken section is in the creek, WSSC says.
Heavy rains Tuesday night hampered WSSC’s efforts to find the broken section.
The advisory affects homes and businesses that “experienced a significant loss of water pressure in their area.”
No customers are without water.
WSSC says customers need to boil their water because there is an increased risk of contamination when a portion of the system loses pressure.
Water needs to be boiled before you:
- Drink it
- Make ice
- Wash dishes (without a dishwasher)
- Brush teeth
- Prepare food
A WSSC news release says, “Water should be brought to a rolling boil for one minute and cooled before using. Water for pets should be boiled and then cooled for their use.”
WSSC says the boil water advisory will be in effect for about 48 hours. WSSC says mandatory water testing will be done before the advisory is lifted.
Customers who were without water service Tuesday night are not part of the boil water advisory area. Tuesday’s rainfall caused three wastewater pumping stations in Fort Washington to overflow. WSSC says the pumping stations are at the following locations: the Broad Creek Wastewater Pumping Station, at 10315 Livingston Rd.; the Ft. Washington Estates Wastewater Pumping Station, at 11326 Ft. Washington Rd.; and the Ft. Washington Forest No. 1 Wastewater Pumping Station, at 12800 Monroe Ave.
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