WSSC Water urges residents in Prince George’s, Montgomery counties to ‘conserve water’
There are dozens of water main breaks and leaks in the D.C. area and WSSC Water is asking residents to limit their water use so that crews can make repairs.
WSSC Water urged 1.9 million customers in Prince George’s and Montgomery counties to conserve their water usage in order to save it for essential use only.
“Our system is losing a lot of water,” Lynn Riggins, a spokesperson at WSSC Water told WTOP on Sunday.
Riggins said there have been about 175 water main breaks and leaks in the first 12 days of January. She said 150 of those were just in the last five days.
“There is a lot of work to be done,” Riggins said. “We have crews all over both counties working around the clock.”
What does saving water for essential use only entail?
“That means take shorter showers,” Riggins said. “If you cannot do your laundry or run your dishwasher today, that would be great. Limit toilet flushing. I know it’s tough, but don’t flush after every use. The more water we can conserve and keep in our system right now, the better.”
As of Sunday afternoon, there is no need for a boil water advisory, but WSSC Water said issuing one is not ruled out yet.
“If we can maintain our system by customers using water for essential purposes only, it will hopefully avoid a boil water advisory and ensure that there’s fire protection across the two counties,” Riggins said. “If there is a house fire down the street, we want to ensure that there is enough water and pressure when the fire department comes and hooks up to that hydrant.”
As of Sunday afternoon, WSSC Water is responding to 47 breaks and leaks.
Customers are urged to contact WSSC Water’s Emergency Services Center at (301) 206-4002 to report any running water or if they smell chlorine, which is used to disinfect drinking water.
Reports can also be made via the WSSC Water Mobile App using the report a problem feature.