Residents of south Prince George's County are facing the daunting task of stockpiling gallons of water before 9 p.m. Tuesday as they face what could be five days without water service.
The Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission says it must turn off a failing, 54-inch water main that serves much of the southern end of the county to make emergency repairs.
Mandatory water restrictions in the affected area will begin at 9 p.m. Tuesday, the utility said. After that, the utility will shut off the main; about 14 hours after that the water will run out completely.
The outage could last for anywhere between two and five days and will affect people living in Temple Hills, Morningside, Forest Heights and Oxon Hill. The interruption will also affect Andrews Air Force Base.
"We're going to try to leave it in service for as long as we can so that our customers have the ability to prepare by stocking up with water," Chief Engineer for WSSC Gary Gumm said.
The main, which officials noted started failing this spring, is located between Suitland Parkway and Forestville Road. Local businesses, as well as tens of thousands of residents, will be affected by the shut off.
Crews spent Monday night digging an access road to the water main, which sits about 450-feet off the road. More than 25 reinforcing wires have snapped inside the water main, NBC4's Megan McGrath reported. Officials say the pipe could burst before it's shut off.
"Everything we do, we rely on water," Young Kim with Today's Seafood and Crab said. "We have to have water to keep all our stuff fresh and clean and on top of that, we use water to steam everything."
WSSC says residents should store one to two gallons of safe water per person per day. Distilled water should be purchased for anyone who suffers from a chronic health problem or has a weakened immune system.
And don't forget to store water for your pet to drink.
Water stored in your bathtub can be used to flush toilets.
Prince George's County resident Belinda Hughes hit the store early Tuesday to stock up on bottled water. While she's ready, she says she's not looking forward to the possibility of two to five days without water.
"Not good, especially when it comes to maybe washing dishes or doing laundry or just drinking water period..." Hughes said.
Down the street, Kanayo Ok gave his water hose a work out ahead of the mandatory water restrictions.
"I'm trying to fill up this trashcan, so I can have water for me and my family," he explained.
News4's Shomari Stone spoke with a resident who was very upset about the short notice by WSSC.
"I'm just flabbergasted," homeowner Jeff Anderson said. "It's outrageous that they didn't let anybody know. How can we go days without water?"
On top of the loss of water usage, heat indexes are expected to reach between 100 and 105 degrees every day this week, Storm Team 4 Chief Meteorologist Doug Kammerer said.
"We'll be getting the hottest temperatures all year this week," Kammerer said.
According to the WSSC, county emergency services will be working with hospitals, nursing homes and others to ensure they have access to water.
The utility published this map to identify the affected area, though the utility's web site has been difficult to use Tuesday due to high volume.
