WSSC Water has lifted an essential-water-use-only request affecting Montgomery and Prince George's County.
"The water distribution system demand and pressure have stabilized, and water storage levels have returned to normal. The Potomac and Patuxent Water Filtration Plants continue to produce water, meeting customer demand," WSSC said in a statement.
WSSC Water had issued an urgent request on Sunday asking its 1.9 million customers in Montgomery and Prince George's counties to only use water for essential needs.
Frigid temperatures have contributed to a significant increase in water main breaks and leaks, WSSC Water said. Crews were responding to 63 breaks and/or leaks across a 1,000-square-mile service area, the company said.
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"As soon as we fix one, another one comes in. So we are working around the clock with our crews," WSSC Water spokesperson Lynn Riggins told News4 on Monday.
"Hopefully everybody kinda realizes that everything will go more smoothly if we all kind of limit our take a little bit," said Madison Morton, a resident of Prince George's County had told News4.
For some business owners, however, cutting back on water wasn't so simple.
"Restaurants, you just go through so much water usage," said Wesley Yao, the owner of Kusshi Sushi in North Bethesda.
Yao said they tried to be mindful of how often they run the dishwasher.
"Our biggest water usage is probably when we filet fish. So right now we’re fileting all our fish at the same time. Usually, we do it anyways to save water, and then just do one cleanup afterwards," he said.
Residents can contact WSSC Water’s Emergency Services Center at (301) 206-4002 to report any running water or if they smell chlorine, which is used to disinfect drinking water. WSSC Water customers can also make reports via the WSSC Water Mobile App using the "report a problem" feature.