Monday, June 16, 2008

hungry? dirty clothes?

This map provided by WSSC shows areas on water use restriction after this morning's water main breaks. If you live in the pink area, you might want to start boiling your water. Maybe.

UPDATE: You can wash clothes and dishes, but you might want to keep a pot of water on the stove.


If you don't have food at home, you're out of luck: Montgomery County has ordered restaurants in areas affected by this morning's water main breaks in Derwood and Wheaton to close up shop "until further advised," as announced by County Executive Ike Leggett barely an hour ago:
Montgomery County Executive Isiah Leggett, joined by County Health Officer Dr. Ulder J. Tillman, today ordered food service facilities, including restaurants, fast food outlets, food markets and mobile food trucks, to remain closed until further advised . . .

“Nothing is more important than protecting the health of our families,” said Leggett. “Until WSSC can assure us that restaurants have an adequate supply of potable water to perform all of their food preparation and serving activities, we must issue this directive. I hope this will only be necessary for a very few days. We are working closely with WSSC in order to minimize the impact of this directive.”
The county's already placed water use restrictions on a vast swath of the east side, including Wheaton, Glenmont, Olney, Ashton and Sandy Spring, Cloverly, Colesville, Fairland, West Laurel, and parts of White Oak, Calverton and Burtonsville. (Check out maps at the Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission's website to see if you're affected.) For the next three days, local residents are advised to boil water used for drinking, cooking or cleaning food, while doing laundry or running the dishwasher is forbidden.

Finally: if you live in Congressional District 4, don't forget to vote in the special election tomorrow. You can find your polling place here.

2 comments:

Thomas Hardman said...

What an annoyance!

Let's see, one night, the vote passes for a $20.00/month "infrastructure maintenance surcharge". Even as the vote takes place, a main ruptures on Urbana Drive right across from the Glenmont MetroRail station.

Then the next morning, a 4-foot pipe bursts.

Will that twenty-a-month surcharge be too little too late?

Is this just more of the old "Failure to Forsee" for which the County is starting to become infamous?

Failure to plan ahead for end-of-lifetime for infrastructure, and saying "it's paid for now so let's not worry about it, let's spend the money elsewhere" will lead to the urban planning equivalent of dying of old age in the poorhouse.

It's time for the County to add even more fees and taxes!

Because, ya know, it doesn't matter if the County says "sure we tax a lot but look at all of the services", if they cannot deliver the services because there is no working delivery infrastructure.

I wonder how many people's welfare checks got mailed out yesterday when the offices were closed because the water was unsafe. I wonder how many people got their rent paid for them when the electrical power was off because of the storms.

Sure, these aren't the responsibility of the County, it's just that the County has regulatory oversight and is responsible for being sure that the infrastructure is indeed maintained.

And increasingly... it's just not happening.

Failure of foresight: people have to always remember, that even in the height of summer... Winter Is Coming.

Unknown said...

As of 9 pm, water pressure has been restored and the use restrictions have been lifted. The boil water order remains in effect. See WSSC's press release at http://www.wssc.dst.md.us/info/releases/061708C.cfm