Under the guidance of the Virginia Department of Health, Henrico County today issued a boil water advisory for users countywide as it continues to work to restore water service to communities in the county’s central and eastern areas.
Henrico residents, businesses and other users of the county’s water system are advised to not drink or cook with tap water without boiling it first.
The advisory is effective immediately and issued out of an abundance of caution. It is designed to protect public health as water lines are repressurized and service is returned following several days of winter storm-related outages that have impacted the interconnected water systems of Henrico and the City of Richmond. Earlier today, the Department of Health issued a boil water advisory for eastern Henrico. Henrico officials extended the advisory countywide in recognition of the interconnected nature of the county’s water system.
Richmond’s water treatment plant has begun to repressurize its water system, which is expected to restore water to areas of eastern Henrico in the coming days.
By boiling water before drinking or cooking with it, Henrico residents, businesses and other users will be protected during the period when the water system can be restored to normal operations, following flushing and bacteriological testing. Henrico’s boil water advisory will remain in effect until further notice.
Boiling is the recommended method of assuring that tap water is safe to drink, according to the Virginia Department of Health. Under the county’s boil water advisory, the following guidance is provided to all water customers of Henrico in accordance with Department of Health recommendations:
· Only boiled or bottled water should be used for drinking, ice and cooking and other food preparation.
· To properly boil water, tap water should be brought to a rolling boil for at least one minute and then allowed to cool. More information is available from the Virginia Department of Health.
Residents with questions related to water service and the boil water advisory may call (804) 501-4275, option #2.
Updates will be provided on the county website and social media accounts.
