
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: THURSDAY, December 9, 1993                   TAG: 9312090109
SECTION: NATL/INTL                    PAGE: A-1   EDITION: METRO  
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: WASHINGTON                                LENGTH: Short

WASHINGTON SUFFERS AS WATER DECLARED UNFIT

Official Washington and more than half a million residents of the nation's capital and Virginia suburbs struggled through a "boiled water alert" Wednesday after excess levels of suspended particles were found in the water supply.

A reservoir filtration system failed and the Environmental Protection Agency urged everyone to boil drinking and cooking water for at least one minute as a precaution. In Virginia, local officials urged residents to lengthen the time to 10 minutes because of stricter state requirements in such emergencies.

It sparked a run on bottled water at supermarkets, and prompted officials at the Pentagon and National Airport to shut off public drinking fountains.

Officials said the problem probably was caused by heavy rains that triggered a soil runoff into a reservoir run by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

The runoff could contain animal waste, but officials added they had not discovered any excess bacteria in the system.

The White House has its own water filtration system and was not affected directly by the alert, said presidential spokeswoman Dee Dee Myers.

She noted that President Clinton drinks mostly bottled water, from Arkansas.

The affected area includes almost all of the nation's capital as well as Arlington County, Falls Church, and the Pentagon and National Airport in Virginia.

by CNB