Marine Corps Base Quantico has publicly addressed the water disruption for the first time, posting a notice that the Mainside distribution system experienced a suspected water-main break on the evening of Sept. 7 that nearly emptied the installations below-ground treated-water reservoir.
The base has not confirmed the cause. Officials also did not say how many people were without service or how long the disruption lasted.
The notice, now posted on the base Water Quality page, directs Mainside personnel not to drink tap water without boiling it first because of the potential risk of E. coli contamination. It tells personnel to use boiled tap water or bottled water for drinking and cooking until further notice, with a rolling boil of one minute as the preferred method.
That Mainside system also supplies the Town of Quantico, the civilian municipality inside the fence line. The town does not treat its own drinking water.
As Potomac Local News reported Tuesday, Mayor Kevin Brown said the town had been running at about 20 percent water pressure after the problem on the base system, with no estimate at the time for a return to full service. The entire town — about 560 residents and dozens of businesses — was affected, along with some portion of the base.
Brown later said water pressure in town was restored about 5:30 p.m. Tuesday. The boil-water advisory remains in effect. The town’s contract environmental support, Inboden Environmental, was scheduled to collect the first of two samples Wednesday morning and the second Thursday morning. If both come back clean, town officials have said they hope to lift the advisory by noon Friday.
Restored pressure does not mean the water is safe to drink. Advisories stay in effect until testing is complete and health officials say otherwise.
Prince William County Emergency Management delivered pallets of bottled water to the town Tuesday at the town’s request.
Main Side of the base was placed under Code Red overnight Monday into Tuesday, closing buildings there including child development centers and schools. Based on social media, the base did not issue a Code Red statement Wednesday.
The Marine Corps notice still does not give a timeline for lifting the boil advisory or a confirmed cause beyond the suspected main break.
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