Houston issues water boil notice after power outage
Water pressure at the East Water Purification Plant, located near Galena Park and the Buffalo Bayou, dropped below safe levels on Sunday evening, prompting the City of Houston to issue a boil water advisory.
At 7:27 p.m. CT, the City of Houston’s official Twitter account said, “A boil water notice has been issued for the City of Houston’s Main Water System.” As of Sunday, November 27 at 10:30 a.m., due to a power outage at the East Water Purification Plant, the city’s water pressure was below the minimal 20 PSI set by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality.
Houstonians are warned to not consume water without boiling it first, and that any water used for human consumption be brought to a “vigorous boil” for at least three minutes. Allowing water to cool down is recommended before using.
The city recommended anyone without access to boiling facilities to drink only bottled water.
The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality mandated the water boil notice in Houston. After the notification period ends, the city said public water system employees will inform customers that the water can once again be used for drinking and other hygiene needs.
The city asked its residents to “Please share this information with all the other people who drink this water, especially those who may not have received this notice directly,” Houston has received a number of boil water advisories in the recent two years, including a boil advisory during 2021’s Winter Storm Uri and an order following a water main break in early 2020.