Philadelphia, PA - On Sunday night, Philadelphia residents made a mad dash to the supermarkets to purchase bottled water following a tap water advisory. This caused long lines, and some grocery stores had to close early; NBC Philadelphia even reported that one bar ordered water for its customers!
Thankfully, the city updated drinking water quality at 3:00 pm Monday, March 27. Based on updated hydraulic modeling and sampling results, their water department declared tap water safe to drink until 11:59 p.m. Tuesday, March 28. Residents in certain parts of the city have been advised to switch from tap water to bottled water Sunday afternoon due to a chemical spill on Friday in a Delaware River tributary. The incident, which took place in Bristol Township, Bucks County, affected much of the city's drinking water system.
The water department reported that the Baxter plant, which supplies Philadelphia's drinking water, has been closed since the spill but reopened its intakes early Sunday morning to maintain minimal river levels. While there remains potential for contamination once pumped through, Mike Carroll - Deputy Managing Director for Transportation, Infrastructure, and Sustainability at City Hall - believes this risk will diminish over time.
