Boil water advisory in eastern Washington County, Maryland, after water main break

Julie E. Greene, The Herald-Mail
·2 min read

The Washington County Division of Environmental Management has issued a boil water advisory for the Mount Aetna water system, a precautionary measure following repairs Thursday to a water main break.

The Mount Aetna water system includes Crystal Falls Drive from Mount Aetna Road to Black Rock Lane, according to an email from county spokesperson Danielle Weaver. That includes White Oak Lane and Black Rock Lane.

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The water main break, repaired by approximately noon Thursday, occurred in the 10200 block of Crystal Falls Drive, Weaver wrote.

County officials did not know Thursday what caused the water main break, which happened sometime overnight.

Around 5:30 a.m. Thursday, county officials received a call from a resident who had no water, emailed Mark Bradshaw, director of environmental management. A water quality team starts work at 6 a.m. and was dispatched to make repairs.

In the "interest of public health and safety," county environmental management officials recommend customers in the affected area take certain precautions until further notice, according to a county news release.

Those precautions are:

  • Boil water used to prepare food, brush teeth, make ice and drink. Water should be at a rolling boil for at least 1 minute to ensure it's safe to consume. Allow water to cool before use.

  • Don't consume or use ice made within the past three hours. Discard any ice until the boil water advisory is lifted. The county issued its announcement around 2 p.m. Thursday.

Water does not need to be boiled for bathing and washing.

The advisory remains in effect until water service is fully restored and water quality tests confirm the water supply is safe, according to the county notice. That process could take up to 2 days.

Environmental management officials "will continue to monitor and work diligently to resolve the situation promptly," the release states.

This article originally appeared on The Herald-Mail: County issues boil water advisory for Crystal Falls Drive area