DC Water

Photo by PoPville flickr user Joseph Gruber

From DC Water:

“Six months ago, DC Water placed into service the first 7-mile segment of the Anacostia River Tunnel system to store combined sewage during rain events, keeping sewage overflows from entering the Anacostia River. DC Water today announced that since beginning operation, the tunnel has kept nearly 3 billion gallons of combined sewage overflows (CSOs) out of the Anacostia. Originally projected to reduce CSOs by approximately 80 percent in an average rainfall year, the system has exceeded expectations by achieving an 88 percent capture rate in its first six months of service.

Instead of flowing into the Anacostia, the combined stormwater and sewage is captured and conveyed to the Blue Plains Advanced Wastewater Treatment Plant for treatment prior to discharge to the Potomac River. The new tunnel and wet weather treatment facility have also captured close to 150 tons of trash that otherwise would have ended up in the river. (more…)

Photo by PoPville flickr user Caroline Angelo

“Dear PoPville,

In paying the bills for my small condo building this month I noticed our water bill was $160 more than our usual bill. When I called DC Water initially on Friday, the representative noted extreme usage over the course of 4 days in August and directed me to the meter reading portion of their site and suggested I set up an alert system in the event of future aberrations. To outline the difference in usage a little clearer, over the course of said 4 days the building had apparently used the same amount of water we usually consume in a full month.

I flagged the issue for the other owners in the building and asked if anyone noticed anything funny happening, I was out of town for the exact dates but my roommate did not note anything out of the ordinary. I heard back from the other owners and it turns out the tenants in two of the units were out of town (one set was gone for almost all of August) and the third owner was personally out of town but his girlfriend was home and didn’t notice anything weird either. (more…)

Initial advisory map released July 13

From DC Water:

“DC Water today released a comprehensive report on the issues surrounding the loss of water pressure at the Bryant Street Pumping Station and the circumstances that led to the warning for some customers to boil their water during a 48 hour span.

The report, released by DC Water CEO and General Manager David L. Gadis, makes a set of recommendations for improvements to both the operation of the pumping station and the ways in which the water utility communicates with customers. The report was delivered to DC Water board members this morning. (more…)

-Dan Silverman: Citizen of the District of Columbia

1. Obviously the way in which DC Water communicates with customers must be improved.

2. Obviously the way in which DC Water communicates with customers must be improved. Maybe this is a start, you can sign up dc water alerts here.

3. Boiling water sucks.

Photo by Emily

4. Most of us are wholly unprepared for a major emergency. God forbid if the shit ever really does go down – most of us are screwed. We should be prepared to shelter in place for at least 3 days. Go here for more info. Seriously.

5. Some of you weirdos drink shower water for some reason. (more…)

From DC Water:

“UPDATE 8:23 AM 7/15 The boil water advisory has been lifted for all customers. If you were in the affected area, run the cold water taps for 10 minutes (if water was not used at all during the advisory).”

Full release: (more…)

See interactive map here

From DC Water:

“Boil Water Advisory Lifted for Most Customers – Continues for Portions of NE Updated 1:00 P.M. July 14, 2018

DC Water has determined boundaries for a smaller affected area under the boil water advisory. No contamination was detected outside of this area. Customers can view the map above or call the 24-Hour Command Center at (202) 612-3400 to verity if they reside in the affected area. Customers located in the affected area should continue boiling water for drinking and cooking until further notice. Customers that are not located in this area are not affected and can use tap water normally. Customers residing in the previous impact area that are no longer under the boil water advisory should run cold water taps for 10 minutes before returning to normal water usage. Running the cold water tap will replace water sitting in pipes during the advisory with clean water from the water main.

The smaller impact area includes portions of neighborhoods east of North Capitol Street, including University Heights, Michigan Park, N. Michigan Park, Queens Chapel and Brookland.

Customers affected by the boil water advisory should follow these precautions: (more…)

See the current interactive map here

Update from DC Water:

“Due to a loss of pressure in portions of our distribution system as a result of an open valve at Bryant Street Pumping Station, DC Water issued a Boil Water Advisory early today for approximately 34,000 customers. A new interactive map allows customers to see if they are within the affected area. Out of an abundance of caution, the initial map released early Friday included a larger advisory area. The updated interactive map is more precise, and customers can search by their street address. Customers can also contact Customer Service at 202-354-3600 to verify if a street address is included in the affected area.

Customers should also boil their water if they experienced low water pressure or had no water after 8:30 p.m. on July 12. If customers did not experience low water pressure and do not live in the affected area, customers do not need to boil their water. (more…)

see the interactive map here

Thanks to Missy for sending:

“We now have an interactive map for the boil water alert.”

UPDATE 7/12 11:45 am We now have an interactive map for the boil water alert. Customers can enter their address to see if they are in the impacted area: https://t.co/CtOCYO1r70

— DC Water (@dcwater) July 13, 2018

“Captain Luna Galacticat supervises her human boiling water in NW DC!”

Updates from DC Water on the boil water advisory:

“Update – We anticipate this Boil Water event to last between 24-48 hours. We will share further updates as they come. Residents in the affected area should continue to boil water for drinking and cooking.”

“It is safe to take a bath or shower, but be mindful not to swallow any water.”

Update – We anticipate this Boil Water event to last between 24-48 hours. We will share further updates as they come. Residents in the affected area should continue to boil water for drinking and cooking.

— DC Water (@dcwater) July 13, 2018

From DPR:

“Due to the DC Water boil alert, spray parks and water fountains will be closed at DPR facilities within the impacted area until DC Water lifts their alert.”