Water Main Break Prompts Restrictions in Montgomery County
June 16, 2008 – 10:31 amPeople who live and work in upper Montgomery County should boil drinking water and limit water use because of a major pipe break that has disrupted service across a large portion of the county.
The water advisory, issued by the Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission, covered all of Montgomery County outside the Capital Beltway with the exception of Rockville, which is served by a separate water system.
The advisory to boil water will remain in effect for at least three days, the agency said, as it repairs the broken water main, re-pressurizes the system and tests water quality. Though there is no evidence of contamination, agency spokeswoman Lyn Riggins said the risk rises when the system loses pressure, and that water should be boiled “as a precaution.”
The break in a 36-inch main near Lake Bernard Frank south of Muncaster Mill Road, occurred last night around 9. But crews did not locate the problem until near dawn today because the pipe is in an isolated, forested section of the Meadowside Nature Center.
The affected area is centered around the towns of Gaithersburg, Germantown, Olney and Burtonsville, heavily populated area where businesses and residents faced perhaps a full day of restricted water supply and at least three days of boiling any water used for human consumption, said Riggins. But the water agency received calls and e-mails from customers in Wheaton and Silver Spring as well, and as a result extended the water advisory to all customers outside the Beltway.
Customers in the far northern parts of the county, such as Poolesville, did not seem to be affected, but Riggins said “basically if there is any doubt as to whether you are on that line, we would say boil the water.”
The WSSC said water should be brought to a rolling boil for a minute before drinking it, making ice, washing food, or using it in other ways that might spread any contamination.
Riggins said it was still not known what caused the break, which tore through about ten feet of water line and created, in effect, a new tributary to the Rock Creek as gushing water coursed 100 feet or so down into a stream valley. Workers on the scene said they were surprised at the rupture because the pipe was made of what is considered a particularly strong composite: prestressed concrete wrapped in steel and steel wire, and surrouned with an outer layer of concrete.
The pipe break meant a problematic start to the summer camp season. The Montgomery County Department of Recreation closed all of its programs for the day, and private camps were also closing on an individual basis. The Sandy Spring Friends School in Sandy Spring closed its programs, for example, but the Barrie School, in nearby Laytonsville, remained open.
Two major aquatic centers, in Olney and Germantown, were closed at 10 a.m., officials said.
Grocery store chains reported a run on bottled water, and were ordering extra shipments from local warehouses. Icemakers and vegetable misters were shut down because of the advisory to not use water unless it was boiled, while some store closed altogether.
Restauranteur Phil Burleson found the county’s warning waiting for him at 10 a.m. when he arrived at Agrodolce Ristorante, the 75-seat modern Italian bistro he owns in Germantown. Moments earlier, his daughters had returned home early from swim practice at the Germantown Outdoor Pool, which had been shut down because of the water main break.
Burleson said his restaurant would still open as scheduled at 11 a.m., but would not serve fountain sodas or anything else that might be compromised. As for washing hands, vegetables and dishes, he said, “we might just have to boil water and then refrigerate it.”
The Montgomery County government announced that its offices in Wheaton, Glenmont, Olney, Burtonsville, Gaithersburg and Germantown would be closed for the day.
Repairs were underway, and Riggins told local television stations that in the “worst case” the work could take as long as 10 hours. In the meantime, water valves were being closed in other parts of the system to isolate the broken pipe, a process that itself would restore service and increase pressure in some areas.
Along with boiling water for personal use, the WSSC imposed mandatory water use restrictions on outside-the-Beltway neighborhoods. Until the system is returned to normal, water and water pressure need to be conserved for firefighting, Riggins said.
Residents and businesses in the affected area were told not to water yards, fill swimming pools or wash dishes or clothes, and were asked to limit toilet flushing.
Businesses or other facilities that stay open and rely on automatic sprinkler systems were told in a county news release to post a “fire watch” because of the water outage.
The water line break in the northern part of the county is the second break under repair this morning. Another main broke near the intersection of Georgia Avenue and Urbana Drive, affecting a much smaller area.
Source: Washington Post
