The City of Richardson has issued a boil water notice affecting about 17,000 of its water utility customers, including schools, businesses, and residences.
The area affected by the boil water notice is between West Spring Valley Road to the south and W. Arapaho Road to the north. The western boundary is Coit Road and the eastern boundary is U.S. 75.
The city is providing bottled water to all residents in the impacted area. The water can be picked up at the Heights Recreation Center at 711 W. Arapaho Road.
Five school campuses within the affected area were closed on Thursday due to the water issue: Arapaho Classical Magnet, Dover Elementary School, Heights Elementary, Richardson West Junior High School, and Richardson High School. School officials said it is unclear whether the campuses will be reopened on Friday, as they need to meet with city officials on the matter.
The boil water notice was issued Wednesday evening after an equipment malfunction earlier in the day caused a drop in water pressure in the city’s 767 water zone. The drop went undetected by operators for a period of time because the monitoring equipment malfunctioned. The water pressure fell to zero for about five minutes before utility workers were able to address the issue.
“This situation arose because of malfunctioning technology with the sensors, preventing us from restoring the water level to an acceptable standard,” City Manager Don Magner said, per Fox 4 KDFW.
Although the water pressure has been restored, the concern is that the temporary loss of pressure may have allowed bacteria to contaminate the water supply.
“… The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality has required the City of Richardson to notify all customers to boil their water prior to consumption (e.g., washing hands/face, brushing teeth, drinking, etc). Children, seniors, and persons with weakened immune systems are particularly vulnerable to harmful bacteria, and all customers should follow the protective measures provided below,” the city said in its public notice.
Restaurants and businesses within the impacted area may continue to operate as long as they adhere to the guidelines for disinfecting water and making it safe for human consumption.
The boil notice on the city website offers safety guidelines for boiling and disinfecting water, sanitizing containers, preparing food, bathing, showering, handwashing, brushing teeth, and washing dishes. These guidelines should be followed until the city announces that the water is once again safe for human consumption.
Water samples have been sent to the North Texas Municipal Water District for testing, with results expected sometime on Friday.
