Water update: Some Charlotte residents should boil water. But it’s safe to shower.
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Construction site in Charlotte in September 2020. Photo: Logan Cyrus/Bloomberg via Getty Images
Charlotte Water said overnight that anyone who experienced low or no water pressure in Monday’s big water main break should boil the water they’ll consume, out of caution, for the next 48 hours.
- That includes water used for drinking, making ice, brushing teeth, washing dishes.
- But it’s safe for everyone to shower.
- The city released this interactive map of the areas affected by the boil water advisory.
The latest: Crews are still investigating the cause, but they were able to close valves to isolate the break.
- All water service has been restored, including at the airport.
What happened: The break occurred in the 1400 block of Remount Road, near Revolution Park. It led to widespread outages in multiple ZIP codes on Monday, including the city’s airport, as we reported over on Instagram Monday evening.
- At one point, Charlotte Douglas International Airport asked airlines to instruct passengers to use the restroom on the aircraft prior to arrival.
- Wild footage shared online appears to show water bursting into the air in massive streams next to the road.
- Several area restaurants — including Calle Sol, The Crunkleton and 5Church — closed early. So did some Charlotte-Mecklenburg Library branches.
Other tips: If your water is discolored, run the cold water tap for 10-15 minutes or until water is clear, Charlotte Water advised. The cloudy water is often caused by dislodged mineral deposits.
- The city asked everyone to conserve water, regardless your address.
During a press conference Tuesday morning, Charlotte Water director Angela Charles said if residents were away from home during the outage and are unsure of whether they lost pressure, they should still boil their water out of an abundance of caution.
- Charles called the water main break “historic.” The pipe that broke was from 1955, but Charles said it’s not yet clear whether age was the reason it burst.
- Charlotte Water will be running tests for the next day or so to ensure water safety.
“If you did not experience any water issues at all, you’re fine. Your water is still safe and your system is properly pressurized,” Charles said.
The big picture: Charlotte isn’t the only city to have had infrastructure failures, Axios’ Shawna Chen wrote Monday night.
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- Broken pumps, burst pipes and chemical shortages left millions in Texas without potable water after a winter storm devastated the state in February.
- Water-related projects topped the list of infrastructure priorities for mayors in 2019.