Residents in NW D.C. neighborhood advised to boil tap water

Residents in the Shephard Park neighborhood of Northwest Washington have been advised to boil their tap water or drink bottled water for at least the next two days after a drop in water pressure Monday afternoon.

The pressure drop affected about 750 single-family homes and apartment buildings around 16th Street and Georgia Avenue, according to the D.C. Water and Sewer Authority. Such a drop in pressure can lead to contamination, but boiling water for one minute eliminates contaminants. The recommendation is only a precaution, according to a written release from WASA.

WASA recommends that residents of the affected area use boiled or bottled water for drinking, cooking, washing dishes, brushing teeth and making ice until the water system is flushed and tests are clear, a process that will take at least two days. Any food prepared with unboiled water after 11 a.m. Monday should be discarded, WASA said.

The full map of affected buildings can be found at dcwasa.com.

-- Megan Greenwell