Houston lifts boil water notice
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Houston in March 2022. Photo: Aaron M. Sprecher/Bloomberg via Getty Images
Houston officials on Tuesday morning lifted the city-wide boil water notice, which was in effect since Sunday night.
Driving the news: "Water quality testing submitted to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality has confirmed that tap water meets all regulatory standards and is safe to drink," the city of Houston said in a press release.
- Houston residents no longer need to boil their water before using it, per city officials.
- "Customers should flush their water system by running cold-water faucets for at least one minute, cleaning automatic ice makers by making and discarding several batches of ice, and running water softeners through a regeneration cycle," per the press release.
Catch up quick: Multiple school districts and colleges in Houston were closed Monday and Tuesday as a result of the city-wide boil water notice after a power outage at a purification plant.
- The city's more than 2 million residents were under the advisory, which meant that water for drinking, cooking, washing hands and faces and brushing teeth should be boiled for at least two minutes.
What they're saying: Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner said on social media early Monday that the city thought the water was safe but was required to issue the notice after the drop in water pressure at the plant, which serves approximately 2.2 million customers daily.
- "We are optimistic the results will come back clean," he said.
- "And it is our hope that we can get a positive word at least late, late tonight or early tomorrow morning, because we'd love to see schools resume and businesses continue to function or open up if they have had to close."
Details: Turner said during a news conference Monday that power was restored hours after the outage occurred Sunday. The outage had led to a brief dip in water pressure at multiple monitoring sites.
The big picture: The closed school districts and colleges included Houston Independent School District (ISD), Aldine ISD, Pasadena ISD, Spring Branch ISD, Houston Community College and Lone Star College - Greenspoint and Victory.
- Houston ISD is the eight-largest school district in the U.S.
Go deeper: Ambulance shortage strikes Houston
Editor's note: This article has been updated with new details throughout.
