Richardson schools reopen with restrictions as city waits for water test results; Boil water notice remains

Richardson's boil water notice remains in effect as city officials await lab results from water testing expected Friday morning.

The notice was issued after a water tower lost all pressure Wednesday night, causing equipment failure and a drop in water pressure. This drop raised concerns about unsafe bacteria, creating health risks for residents.

The notice affects about 17,000 homes and businesses within the area bounded by Coit Road, Arapaho Road, U.S. Highway 75, and Spring Valley Road.

Five schools that closed Thursday will reopen Friday with restrictions. Water fountains will not be in use, and students will receive cold meals, city officials said. The affected schools are Arapaho Classical Magnet, Dover Elementary, Heights Elementary, Richardson West Junior High, and Richardson High School.

"Around mid-afternoon, we began to get complaints from residents and other users about the water pressure. That prompted us to investigate our distribution system. We discovered that a telemetry sensor in the Holly water tower had malfunctioned and was not sending information back to our monitoring stations," said City Manager Don Magner. "The water in that tower had dropped completely, even though the sensor was still reporting it at 10 feet."

If the results indicate unsafe water, Richardson will need to retest and send new samples back to the lab, extending the boil water order.

The city will continue distributing bottled water until the order is lifted. Results from the water tests are expected by 10 a.m. Friday.