Southwood Water System: Notice of Jan. 21 water service interruption and precautionary boil water advisory

On Wednesday, January 21, Washington Water Service will be installing isolation valves along 224th St E at 44th Ave E as part of the mainline replacement project. This work will require that we depressurize a portion of the water system, resulting in an outage to the 48 homes/lots highlighted on the map below.

Crews will be on site at 9:00 a.m. and work is expected to be completed by 1:00 p.m. that same day. Chlorine will be used to sanitize all new equipment, plumbing parts, and materials. Once the work is completed, the area will be flushed, background chlorine residuals reestablished, and follow-up bacteriological samples will be collected and tested to confirm that water quality was not affected.

We are also advising that you use boiled tap water or bottled water for drinking and cooking as a precautionary measure until lab results confirm that no coliform bacteria were introduced during this work. Bring all tap water to a rolling boil for one minute. Let it cool before using. You should use boiled water (or bottled water) for drinking, preparing food, making ice, brushing teeth and washing dishes by hand. Your water is safe for showering, bathing, and for other household uses, including washing dishes in the dishwasher as long as the heat/sanitizing cycle and commercial dishwashing detergent are used.

We expect to receive results from the lab by Friday, January 23. We will notify you directly when you no longer need to boil your water.

If you choose to purchase bottled water during this advisory, you may submit your receipt for reimbursement and a credit will be applied to your account. Please mail your receipt to our office at PO Box 336, Gig Harbor, WA 98335. Be sure to include your account number and address on the receipt.

We apologize for the inconvenience. Protecting your health and safety is our highest priority. If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to call our Customer Service Center. We can be reached toll free at (877) 408-4060 or by email at [email protected].