Water advisory lifted Monday after schools, businesses closed in three west metro suburbs

Residents and businesses in three west metro suburbs were given the all clear Monday afternoon to use their water after being advised to boil their water for a second straight day.

On Sunday, a water tower in Golden Valley malfunctioned and caused a drop in water pressure. After the completion of water quality testing by the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH), it was confirmed around 4:30 p.m. Monday that the water was safe to drink and use as normal in Crystal, New Hope and Golden Valley.

Earlier in the day, residents in the three cities were told to boil their water to use for drinking, brushing their teeth and cooking. No contamination was confirmed, said Crystal spokesman Mike Peterson.

To be safe, MDH advises residents to flush household pipes and faucets by running each cold-water faucet for 5 minutes or until the water is noticeably colder.

People are also advised to throw away their ice. If they have an icemaker, flush the feed lines and throw away the first new bin of ice.

Water heaters, water coolers and any other water storage container should also be flushed. In addition, water softeners and filters should be cleaned and disposable filters should be replaced.

The disruption caused some schools and restaurants to close Monday; others scaled back their menus.

“We don’t have a full menu; we are not completely open,” said Fidel Mendoza, manager of the McDonald’s on West Broadway in Crystal on Monday. “We can’t sell fountain drinks. We have bottled water, and we are selling shakes.”

The Good Day Cafe in Golden Valley decided not to serve meals Monday. “We are closed due to ongoing water safety issues,” a recorded message on the eatery’s telephone line said. “We will open tomorrow.”

Some Robbinsdale School District students got an unexpected day off. Special education classes, school-based child care programs, Summer Explorers, Community Enrichment classes and driver’s education at buildings in the three cities were called off Monday. Programs in Plymouth, Brooklyn Center, Brooklyn Park and Robbinsdale buildings continued as normal, said district spokesman Derrick Williams.

“State health regulations require public schools to have access to potable water,” Williams said. “It is standard to close affected sites until water is confirmed safe” by the Minnesota Department of Health.

When Golden Valley resident Howard Schwartz turned on his water Sunday, there wasn’t any pressure, and he feared he had a plumbing problem. He didn’t receive an alert from the city and was somewhat relieved later to know it was a citywide problem and not just his. He discovered others who had posted on social media.

“The city didn’t have a notification system like Xcel does when the power goes out,” Schwartz said. “The mayor has been made full aware that something needs to happen.”

During the interim, Schwartz got by with a 24-pack of bottled water he was lucky enough to snap up at the New Hope Hy-Vee.

“There was a run on water,” he said. “Lots of people were buying.”

Inconvenient, yes, “but it’s not our first crisis,” the 74-year-old said.

The advisory was issued after a valve on a water tower in Golden Valley malfunctioned overnight from Saturday night to Sunday. New Hope Mayor John Elder wrote on Facebook that the water tower valve inadvertently closed Saturday night.

“We are also investigating how this happened so that it won’t happen again!” he wrote, adding crews reopened the valve Sunday morning.

Until the advisory was lifted, MDH said to bring water to a rolling boil for one minute and let it cool before using it. Boiling kills bacteria and other organisms in the water, the agency said.

In the case of a boil water advisory, adults may use water to bathe or shower, provided they don’t swallow any water. All ages can use tap water to wash hands, MDH said.

However, dishwashers should not be used as they typically do not reach temperatures that kill bacteria, the department said.

But swimming is OK. For those who wanted to stay cool on the hot day, the newly remodeled Crystal Cove Aquatic Center was open Monday, though there were no drinks or ice available at the concession stand.