3 Day Boil Water Advisory

Many people have been questioning the water main break in Montgomery County. I just got this e-mail alert and felt it appropriate to pass on.

As per the attached release, a three-day BOIL WATER ADVISORY has been issued this morning for portions of Montgomery County outside the Beltway.

BOIL WATER ADVISORY FOR CUSTOMERS IN PORTIONS OF MONTGOMERY COUNTY MANDATORY WATER RESTRICTIONS ALSO IN EFFECT

Contact WSSC Communications 301.206.8100

The Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission (WSSC) is issuing a precautionary boil water advisory for Montgomery County outside the beltway, with the exception of customers who receive their water from the City of Rockville. The Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission experienced a major water main break at 9:15 p.m. on Sunday evening. This resulted in the loss of water pressure or water service for large areas of Montgomery County outside the Beltway.

When water systems lose pressure there is an increased risk of contamination. Although we do not have an indication that the water system has been contaminated, as a precaution, the WSSC and the Maryland Department of the Environment recommend if you live outside the beltway in Montgomery County, that you boil all water before use. Water should be brought to a rolling boil for one minute and cooled before using. Boiled or bottled water should be used for drinking, making ice, washing dishes, brushing teeth, and food preparation. The boil water advisory will continue until further notice, the water pressure is returned, the system is thoroughly flushed and the acceptable water quality is confirmed by water testing.

We expect this process to take at least three days.

In addition, Mandatory Water Restrictions are now in effect for those customers in this same geographic area. This is an effort to keep up water pressure for fire protection. These restrictions include;

* No outside watering
* No filling swimming pools
* No laundry
* No dishwashing
* Limit toilet flushing

These restrictions will remain in effect until some time later today. We regret the inconvenience that this may cause. Please share this information with all the other people who drink this water, especially those who may not have received this notice directly (for example, people in apartments, nursing homes, schools, and businesses). You

can do this by posting this notice in a public place or distributing copies by hand or mail For more information, please contact WSSC Communications at 301.206.8100.