WSSC continues Potomac plant electrical repairs after lifting water-use request

WSSC Water said on October 1 that it was moving into the next phase of electrical restoration at its Potomac Water Filtration Plant in Maryland, a day after lifting an essential-water-use request for customers in Montgomery and Prince George’s counties. The plant was producing enough water to meet demand when the request ended, but it remained on a temporary internal electrical configuration, according to the City of Greenbelt’s September 30 notice.

The distinction matters for customers who spent two days limiting their water use: the immediate shortage risk had eased, while work on the plant’s electrical systems continued. WSSC’s October 1 update did not give a date for full restoration or specify a permanent repair design. The utility said it would tell customers promptly if they needed to take action.

What WSSC says remains to be repaired at the Potomac plant

WSSC said its initial response concentrated on restoring water production and keeping storage in the distribution system as full as possible. With the essential-water-use request lifted, its focus shifted to returning the plant to normal operations. Operators, electricians, high-voltage engineers, contractors and Pepco were to continue working until the internal electrical systems were fully restored, the utility said.

WSSC chief executive and general manager Kishia L. Powell thanked customers for conserving water during the disruption. She said the utility was examining the electrical systems to determine corrective action and inform planned projects intended to make the plant more resilient. That examination was still underway in the October 1 update; the retained account does not establish a final cause or a finished set of corrective measures.

How the power failure disrupted water production

The Potomac plant normally has two electrical feeds and can run at full capacity with either one, Greenbelt said. One feed had been taken out of service in mid-September for planned Pepco maintenance. At about 4:30 a.m. on September 29, the remaining feed failed and could not immediately be restored, leaving the plant unable to operate normally.

Pepco restored the feed previously removed for maintenance at about noon that day, according to Greenbelt. Internal electrical problems initially kept the plant from restarting even after that external feed returned. Greenbelt said crews restored power to the facility at about 3:45 p.m. on September 29, and the plant continued operating under a stable temporary arrangement.

NBC4 Washington reported that the outage affected the plant’s ability to supply drinking water to about 75% of WSSC’s 1.9 million customers on September 29 and 30. WSSC spokesperson Lyn Riggins told NBC4 that the two feeds ordinarily provide redundancy, but one was down for maintenance when the other developed a problem. NBC4 also reported Pepco’s initial finding that an issue with WSSC equipment caused the outage. An initial finding is distinct from the completed examination WSSC said it was undertaking on October 1.

What lifting the water-use request means for customers

Greenbelt’s September 30 notice said the Potomac plant was then producing enough water to meet customer demand, storage in the distribution system had returned to normal levels, and power delivery to the plant was stable and adequate. Those conditions allowed WSSC to lift its essential-water-use-only request across Montgomery and Prince George’s counties at 5 p.m. The notice also credited customers’ reduced use with helping preserve water in the system and maintain adequate fire protection.

During the request, WSSC told customers to shorten showers, stop outdoor watering, limit laundry and dishwasher use, and reduce toilet flushing, NBC4 reported. The utility said the drinking water was safe and did not need boiling. It sought conservation partly to avoid a possible future boil-water advisory. NBC4 reported that Poolesville and about 13,000 Rockville customers served through the city were outside WSSC’s advisory, illustrating that the countywide wording did not mean every local water customer was affected.

The alert’s end did not answer every question arising from the disruption. Powell told NBC4 that there had been no discussion yet of a rebate or discount for affected customers. WSSC’s October 1 notice, meanwhile, set out continuing electrical work without a completion date. Neither statement establishes whether compensation will be offered or when the permanent power arrangement will be finished.

Where WSSC says further updates will appear

WSSC said it would keep customers and officials informed as crews investigated the issue and implemented corrective measures. It directed customers to its website and social media accounts for updates and said it would communicate promptly if they needed to take action. For now, the established change is that the conservation request has ended while electrical restoration continues at the Potomac plant.