Crews are continuing to work on the water main break in Dayton that knocked out service to thousands of customers across a wide section of the city.
Though service was restored quickly, a boil water advisory has been issued for the parts of the city where the water pressure dropped below safe limits.
At a press conference Monday evening, city officials said the leak had been isolated and the water system was returning to normal.
"Customers should see normal water pressures, if they don't already have them, very soon in the next few hours," said Mike Powell, director of Dayton’s water department. "As things stabilize the system should be able to be used just as normal."
When water pressure drops too far, that means water inside buildings can flow back into the system, causing potential contamination. Affected customers should heat water to a rolling boil for at least one minute before using it.
Three of the city's hospitals were affected by the outages. Dayton Children's Hospital experienced a loss of pressure, but not one beneath the 20 pounds per square inch advisory threshold. Grandview Medical Center has its own water disinfecting system, according to the city.
Miami Valley Hospital did experience water pressure beneath the 20 psi threshold, and has switched to reserve water supplies and bottled water, according to a Premier Health spokesman. The hospital says it has been operating under normal procedures with minimal impact while the water main is repaired.
There’s a map of areas currently under the boil advisory on the city’s website.
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