Pr. George's Water Restrictions Cleared

By Avis Thomas-Lester and Debbi Wilgoren
Washington Post Staff Writers
Tuesday, November 18, 2008 10:00 AM

Water restrictions that have affected tens of thousands of people in central Prince George's County since Saturday were lifted as of 7:30 this morning, after a second round of tests showed that a break in a water main did not contaminate the water supply, authorities said.

Consumers should flush all cold-water taps for five minutes before resuming regular water use, Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission spokesman Mike McGill said. That recommendation also applies to water lines in refrigerators. Residents and businesses should dispose of any ice that was made after 2 a.m., and also throw out the first three batches of ice made by automatic ice dispensers, McGill said. Ice trays and ice maker containers then should be wiped clean with a solution of two tablespoons bleach to one gallon of water.

"We understand that the boil water advisory did cause an inconvenience for our customers," said Teresa D. Daniell, the commission's interim general manager. "However, providing safe, reliable water is of the utmost importance. For the health and safety of our customers, WSSC needed to take all necessary precautions."

McGill said consumers with questions about water safety can contact the commission at communications@wsscwater.com.

The rupture of the water main Saturday occurred at the site of a construction project to erect two traffic lights on Central Avenue at the Capital Beltway. Crews from the sanitary commission were working to determine whether the construction or the age of the pipes caused the break.

The break reduced water pressure across a large swath of Prince George's, a situation that could allow contaminants to enter the pipes, McGill said. "In this case, we had a significant loss of pressure for an extended period of time over a large area and that's why the determination was made to put out the advisory," McGill said.

However, in both rounds of testing, no harmful bacteria was found.

Yesterday, 16 schools in the affected 39-square-mile area scurried to procure bottled water for their students. The county jail also brought in bottles for its inmates. Signs at the county administration building in Upper Marlboro urged employees to boil their water at home and bring it to work. The break affected thousands of homes, along with the county courthouse; school board headquarters; the Boulevard at Capital Centre shopping center; several strip malls; at least three senior citizen residential facilities; and a hospital, officials said.

The order to boil any tap water before using it was the second in the agency's 90-year history. The first came in June, when much of northern Montgomery County was left boiling water for days after a 48-inch water main broke. Officials say they are grappling with how to deal with what they consider the system's failing infrastructure at a time of reduced revenue and general belt-tightening.

"They instructed us that if we were going to use the water, we had to boil it," Carla Bowens, a family consumer sciences teacher at Largo High School, said yesterday. "We were going to make cookies today, but I just suspended my lab. I just didn't want to take any risks with the students, and it's too dangerous and time-consuming to boil all that water."

Hundreds of cases of water were delivered for students, cafeteria workers boiled water for food preparation and water fountains were cordoned off and signs posted warning students and staff to refrain from using them, schools spokesman John White said.

At the jail, "we brought in 3,000 bottles of water to take care of the inmates, then we'll get more if we need it," said Vernon Herron, the county's director of public safety.

Last year, the commission saw a record number of water-main breaks: 2,129. So far this year, 1,133 breaks have been reported, McGill said. He said that 50 percent of the system's pipes "will reach or exceed their useful life by 2025." Because of Prince George's County's highly acidic soil, some pipes installed in the 1960s and 1970s are already showing signs of marked deterioration, he said.

Michelle Quander-Collins, spokeswoman for the District's Water and Sewer Authority, which reported 343 water-main breaks in the fiscal year ending Sept. 30, said an aging system is a concern there as well. During the next decade, the authority will spend $500 million for water infrastructure improvements. "We've got 1,300 miles of water pipeline through the District, and the median age is 74 years," she said. "We even have some pipeline that is over 100 years old. . . . One line on M Street was installed in 1859."

The Fairfax County Water Authority recorded more than 240 water-main breaks, which is below the annual average for the past seven years, a spokesman said.

In Maryland, then-General Manager Andrew D. Brunhart declared the commission system "dysfunctional" in January. A proposal to raise rates and impose a $20 fee to fund infrastructure improvements was voted down by the commission after a public outcry, officials said. McGill said a committee of representatives from Prince George's and Montgomery counties is looking at ways to pay for improving infrastructure. A recording at the commission complex in Laurel told callers that half of the system's infrastructure will reach the end of its effectiveness by 2025 and encouraged community groups to contact the agency to schedule a meeting to learn more about the aging infrastructure.

The approximate borders of the affected area are Church Road to the east, the Capital Beltway to the west, Ritchie Marlboro Road to the south and Route 50 to the north. Officials estimated that it will cost as much as $40,000 to repair the damage.

Meanwhile, Prince George's residents boiled their water and tried to make the best of an uncertain situation.

"I didn't see any discoloration in my water, but my sister did," said Elaine Murrell of Mitchellville. "I didn't know, except the toilets wouldn't refill after they were flushed and I had low water pressure. Later in the afternoon, my brother called and told me. I found out a lot of people didn't know."

Staff writer Ian Shapira contributed to this report.