Watch CBS News

Boil Water Advisory Lifted In Prince George's County

LAUREL, Md. (WJZ) — The Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission says customers in areas of Prince George's County no longer need to boil their water prior to use.

WSSC collected multiple samples in the affected areas on Wednesday and Thursday and found no signs of harmful bacteria.

The boil water advisory was put into effect after a 59-year-old, 24-inch water main broke in Hyattsville on Tuesday night.

Some 100,000 people were affected. While the WSSC says no customers were without water service, some reported brown water coming out of their faucets.

Customers are asked to take the following final precautions to flush out the water lines in their homes or businesses.

  • 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.

Customers who experience additional problems are asked to call the Emergency Call Center at 301.206.4002 or TTY 301.206.8345.

Other Local News:

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.