7,000 DC Water customers still impacted by Boil Water alert, 1 area tested positive for contaminant

WASHINGTON - DC Water says one area, affecting 7,000 DC Water customers in the District, are still under a boil water advisory after investigators say one area of 13 tested positive for contamination.

They say that the test detected total coliform (bacteria) in the smaller affected area. DC Water says E. coli was not found in the areas tested.

DC Water says customers residing in previously impacted areas no longer under the boil water advisory should run cold water taps for 10 minutes before returning to normal water usage.

"We will continue flushing water from the system, and testing water samples to assess water safety," says DC Water.

This comes after an issue at the DC Water Bryant Street pumping station Thursday, caused 35,000 D.C. residents to have low water pressure or no water service Thursday night.

Much of the original areas affected have now been deemed safe to drink water without boiling, with the exception of:

DC Water says they advise affected customers to boil their water out of precaution. They advise customers to boil their water for cooking and drinking until further notice if they live in the following area:

"We are in the process of confirming all results and also testing new locations around that one hydrant where the positive test results were marked," said Gadis.

DC Water says their goal is to have the boil water alert removed for all residents by Sunday morning if not sooner.

If in the affected area, DC Water says it is not safe to:

DC Water spokesperson Vincent Morris said they received reports of a drop in water pressure affecting customers in the Foxhall and Brookland neighborhoods.

Customers should:

Customers should use cooled, boiled water or bottled water for:

Officials say it is safe to take a bath or shower, but customers should be mindful not to swallow any water.

DC Mayor Muriel Bowser says there are some pools, spray parks, hospitals and shelters impacted by the advisory.

DC City Authorities say affected DPR pools, spray parks, and water fountains will be closed within the impacted area until further notice. Anyone showering at these facilities should not swallow water.

Turkey Thicket Pool remains closed.

All hospitals within the affected area have back up water plans.

There was some scrutiny on the water provider from customers, after residents say they were not informed of the advisory in a prompt manner, and many had issues reaching DC Water after the high-volume of calls and website traffic.

DC Water says they say they will share further updates as they come.

DC Water reports 40 homes are impacted by an emergency water outage on I (Eye) Street NE between 12th and 13th Street NE for 8-10 hours due to water services repair. It is not known if the outage is due to the boil water alert.

DC Water encourages customers to view their FAQ in regard to the Boil Water Advisory.