Update:
2:34 p.m. Nov. 8, 2024: Updated to reflect the boil water notice has been lifted.
Richardson boil water notice lifted after no contamination concern found in test
Testing showed water no longer required boiling as of Friday, Nov. 8.
By Matt Kyle
Richardson lifted its boil water notice Friday after testing of the city’s water showed no concern for contamination, the city said in a Facebook post.
The city issued samples of its drinking water to the North Texas Municipal Water District after several water towers in the city briefly lost pressure Wednesday afternoon, leading to a concern of bacterial contamination. The city’s public water system took “corrective actions” to restore the city’s water quality and received results Friday afternoon showing no concern for contamination.
The boil water notice was then lifted by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality.
City Manager Don Magner thanked residents for their support and patience during the situation.
“I would like to thank the community for its support, patience and understanding on behalf of our water crews and all the additional teams brought in to assist in responding to this incident,” Magner said. “We are committed to conducting a thorough after-action review to identify any improvements that will help us avoid and prevent similar issues in the future.”
Richardson city officials said that on Wednesday evening the pressure in the city’s Holly Water Tower, between Mimosa Drive and Dogwood Drive in Richardson’s 767 water distribution zone, dipped to zero for about five minutes, while two other towers dropped in pressure but did not reach zero. A dip in pressure could lead to the formation of bacteria, Magner said.
Nearly 17,000 residents in the southwest portion of the city were affected by the boil water notice. Since Wednesday night, Richardson handed out about 4,500 cases of water for free to residents, the city’s website said.
With the boil notice ending, the city has stopped distributing water to residents.
Five Richardson ISD schools closed Thursday due to the boil notice, but they reopened Friday after taking precautions such as covering water fountains, stocking up on bottled water and hand sanitizer and preparing cold breakfasts and lunches that didn’t require water to make. The district said in a statement it does not anticipate any water safety issues next week.
