City of Richardson issues Boil Water Notice, 5 schools closed Thursday

The city said this notice is affecting about 17,000 customers, including residential areas, schools and businesses

by · 5 NBCDFW

The City of Richardson has issued a Boil Water Notice to residents in the southwest region of the city following an equipment malfunction on Wednesday.

According to a news release, the equipment malfunction caused a portion of the City's 767 water zone to experience a drop in water pressure. This went undetected due to a malfunction of telemetry equipment that failed to notify operators and the water pressure ultimately fell to zero. Due to the drop in pressure, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ), children, seniors and people with weakened immune systems are particularly vulnerable to harmful bacteria. 

The city said this notice is affecting about 17,000 customers, including residential areas, schools and businesses.

The boil water notice also forced the closure of five school campuses within the Richardson ISD for Thursday.

  • Arapaho Classical Magnet
  • Dover Elementary
  • Heights Elementary
  • Richardson West Junior High
  • Richardson High School

The school district has stated that it will not be able to determine whether classes will resume on Friday until it convenes with city officials.

The City of Richardson will be providing bottled water for all residents impacted in the area of the boil water notice. Bottled water will be available for pickup at the Heights Recreation Center at 711 W Arapaho Road.

That center will be open until 10 p.m. Wednesday night, and then reopen at 7 a.m. on Thursday.

How to boil/disinfect water to meet safety guidelines

The following information is provided by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) as guidelines.

To boil water:

  • Fill a pot with water.
  • Heat the water until bubbles come from the bottom of the pot to the top.
  • Once the water reaches a rolling boil, let it boil for 1 minute.
  • Turn off the heat source and let the water cool.
  • Pour the water into a clean container with a cover for storage.

To disinfect water:

  • If you are unable to boil your water, you can disinfect it to make it safe to drink.

For more information, click here.