What do you do during a boil-water or essential-use notice?

During a WSSC Water boil water advisory, bring water to a rolling boil for one minute and cool it before drinking, brushing teeth, making formula, washing produce, giving it to pets or making ice.

By the Your Water Numbers desk, not WSSC Water · Updated November 2, 2026 · How we check

Reading this: Match your notice type to its rows. An essential-use request asks you to use less; a boil-water advisory changes how you use the water.

What needs boiled water, and for how long?

One minute at a rolling boil, then let it cool. Those are the steps WSSC Water publishes.

Use that boiled water for drinking, brushing teeth, formula, washing produce, pets and ice. You don’t need to boil for dishes, handwashing, laundry or bathing, as long as the water is not consumed.

What must go in the sink?

Three things made since the advisory began: water, drinks and ice. Throw out the next three batches of ice as well.

Wipe ice maker containers with 2 tablespoons of bleach to 1 gallon of water.

How do you flush once the advisory lifts?

Start at the lowest floor and work up, using cold sink taps only.

• Slowly open the cold tap at a sink on the lowest floor. Going slowly deals with trapped air and water hammer.
• Move up floor by floor, opening cold sink taps as you go.
• When the water runs clear, usually in 5 minutes or less, turn the taps off from lowest to highest.
• Flush the fridge water line.

Why would all customers be asked to cut back?

Because supply can drop below demand. On Sept 29 to 30, 2026, trouble with electric power at the Potomac works brought a request to all customers, aimed at avoiding a boil-water advisory.

That plant serves about 75% of customers and normally makes 100 to 120 million gallons a day (MGD). The Patuxent plant ran 90 to 95 MGD during the outage. Average demand is about 170 MGD. Our reading: the gap explains the ask: no outdoor water, shorter showers, fewer flushes.

Which notices have gone out lately?

Five that we found. This is not a complete list.

• Feb 2025: boil-water advisory, all customers in southern Prince George’s south of MD 4 (Pennsylvania Ave).
• July 2025: boil-water advisory, Cheverly, Seat Pleasant, Capitol Heights and nearby.
• Jan 2026: essential-use request, all customers, after frigid-weather breaks.
• July 2026: boil-water advisory, Accokeek and Clinton, lifted July 3.
• Sept 2026: essential-use request, all customers, later lifted.

Does a notice mean something is wrong with your pipes?

Not your own, in the two essential-use requests: those came from main breaks in cold weather and a plant power problem. For the boil advisories, each linked notice gives its cause. The line that decides whose job a pipe is sits at the property line. A water loss limited to your house is a different problem, so have a licensed plumber check your side.

Questions on this page

Where each number comes from