Latest: SUEZ crews have repaired a major water main break. Crews have recharged the system so water pressure should be back to near normal this evening. You may see some discolored water or air in lines. Run cold water to clear these issues up. Boll water order remains in effect. One clarification – it is recommended by the State Office of Drinking Water to boil water before washing dishes with it. We apologize for inconvenience and appreciate your patience.
While water pressure should be near normal this morning, the boil water order will not be lifted until at least the afternoon due to safety testing, according to a posting on SUEZ’s Facebook page
Check back as we will be posting any news regarding this story throughout the day.
Original Release
SUEZ issued a statement on Wednesday, May 24, 2017, telling customers that they may be at an increased risk of microbial contamination due to a main break.
In conjunction with the Delaware Office of Drinking Water, SUEZ has issued a boil water advisory affecting certain customers north of Wilmington, according to a statement on the SUEZ website.
We routinely monitor the conditions in the distribution system. On Wednesday 5/24/17, we experienced a drop in pressure due to a main break they caused a loss of positive water pressure in a section of our distribution system. A loss of positive water pressure is a signal of the existence of conditions that could allow contamination to enter the distribution system through back-flow by back-pressure or back-siphonage. As a result, there is an increased chance that the water may contain disease-causing organisms.
“The water main break was so large that it drained a large water tower. As a precaution, working with the State Office of Drinking Water, we want to make absolutely sure there are no issues stemming from the tank going dry. Testing is underway and will take 24-48 hours. We will keep all posted as best we can.”, SUEZ said on their Facebook Page when responding to a comment.
What should I do?
DO NOT DRINK THE WATER WITHOUT BOILING IT FIRST. Bring all water to a rolling boil, let it boil for one minute, and let it cool before using; or use bottled water. You should use boiled or bottled water for drinking, making ice, washing dishes, brushing teeth, and food preparation until further notice.
Inadequately treated water may contain disease-causing organisms. These organisms include bacteria, viruses, and parasites, which can cause symptoms such as nausea, cramps, diarrhea, and associated headaches.
These symptoms, however, are not caused only by organisms in drinking water, but also by other factors. If you experience any of these symptoms and they persist, you may want to seek medical advice.
People with severely compromised immune systems, infants, and some elderly may be at increased risk. These people should seek advice about drinking water from their health care providers. General guidelines on ways to lessen the risk of infection by microbes are available from EPA’s Safe Drinking Water Hotline at 1 (800) 426-4791.
What happened? What is being done?
We will inform you when all corrective actions have been completed and when you no longer need to boil your water.
If restaurants want to know more about the precautions they should follow, they can call Public Health Office of Drinking Water at 302-741-8582. Suez’s customer service department phone number is 302-633-5900 for individuals with questions about their water service.
Please share this information with all the other people who drink this water, especially those who may not have received this notice directly (for example, people in apartments, nursing homes, schools, and businesses). You can do this by posting this notice in a public place or distributing copies by hand or mail.
This notice is being sent to you by Suez Water.
PWS ID# DE0000564: Date distributed: 5/24/17
Affected communities:
ARDEN
ARDENCROFT
ARDENTOWN
BELLEMEADE
BEVERLY WOODS
BRANDYWINE RIDGE
BUCKINGHAM GREENE
BUCKINGHAM HEIGHTS
CARPENTER WOODS
DARLEY
DARLEY WOODS
DELAVIEW
GREEN ACRES
HIGHLAND WOODS
HILTON
INDIAN FIELD
LONGVIEW FARMS
MERIDEN
NORTHFIELD
OLD GATE LANE
PRINCETON ESTATES
RAMBLEWOOD
RYAN ESTATE
SHERWOOD GREEN
SILVERCROFT
STONE CREEK
SUNSET FARMS
SUTTON PLACE
TIMBER RUN
TIMBERWOOD
TOP OF THE HILL APTS
VEALE TRACT
WEMBLEY
WESTERLOO
WESTWOOD
WINDYBUSH
WOODCROFT
WOODSIDE HILLS
WOODVIEW VILLAGE
WYCLIFFE