Avoid drinking tap water for now if served by these Pierce County utilities
Avoid drinking tap water until further notice if you're served by Ashford Water District or the S & I system of Washington Water Service, according to notices this week from the state Department of Health.
'This water system experienced a main break with pressure loss,' a notice for Ashford Water District said Sunday. 'When water lines lose pressure, potentially harmful contaminants can enter the water system. As a safety precaution, customers should boil their water or use bottled water until further notice.'
Another water system in Pierce County, S & I under Washington Water Service, was flagged as unsafe with a similar message on the state Department of Health website Tuesday.
A public notice on the Ashford Water District website says that chlorine will remain in the system for three days and will be flushed out over five to seven days. Then, water samples will be tested in a lab.
'When all samples test Satisfactory, Ashford Water District will then lift the Boil Water Order,' the notice says.
Two Ashford businesses, Paradise Village Restaurant and coffee stop Rise and Grind, were closed Tuesday afternoon due to water safety concerns, according to the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department website.
The News Tribune called Ashford Water District and Washington Water Service for more information but was unable to reach a spokesperson Tuesday.
Ashford Water District and S & I are both classified as Group A water systems, which means they 'have 15 or more service connections or serve 25 or more people 60 or more days per year,' according to the health department website.

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Avoid drinking tap water for now if served by these Pierce County utilities
Avoid drinking tap water until further notice if you're served by Ashford Water District or the S & I system of Washington Water Service, according to notices this week from the state Department of Health. 'This water system experienced a main break with pressure loss,' a notice for Ashford Water District said Sunday. 'When water lines lose pressure, potentially harmful contaminants can enter the water system. As a safety precaution, customers should boil their water or use bottled water until further notice.' Another water system in Pierce County, S & I under Washington Water Service, was flagged as unsafe with a similar message on the state Department of Health website Tuesday. A public notice on the Ashford Water District website says that chlorine will remain in the system for three days and will be flushed out over five to seven days. Then, water samples will be tested in a lab. 'When all samples test Satisfactory, Ashford Water District will then lift the Boil Water Order,' the notice says. Two Ashford businesses, Paradise Village Restaurant and coffee stop Rise and Grind, were closed Tuesday afternoon due to water safety concerns, according to the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department website. The News Tribune called Ashford Water District and Washington Water Service for more information but was unable to reach a spokesperson Tuesday. Ashford Water District and S & I are both classified as Group A water systems, which means they 'have 15 or more service connections or serve 25 or more people 60 or more days per year,' according to the health department website.