After-action: two water-line breaks prompted Sept. 8–11 boil advisory; staff logged about 235 hours

Andrea Broshkovich, the director (introduced on the record), presented an after-action report on two water-line breaks that led to a townwide boil advisory from Sept. 8 through Sept. 11. Broshkovich said the response was a cross-department effort involving public works, utilities, police (public information), finance and other staff; she reported the incident consumed "a total of 235 hours of staff time" during the week the breaks occurred.

Broshkovich described the physical breaks as one 5‑foot-by-6‑inch lateral longitudinal break and a second roughly 6‑foot-by-10‑inch longitudinal break; both were isolated within 25–30 minutes of discovery. Council members praised the response effort and asked about lessons learned. Council discussed communication gaps: a councilmember reported businesses and at least one school lacked early notice, and members proposed exploring Loudoun County cellular push alerts (Amber‑alert-style or reverse 911), better coordination with the health department, and prearranged agreements to purchase and distribute bulk water to affected residents.

Broshkovich said the town’s emergency plan had been recently updated and that staff had indeed contacted Loudoun County emergency operations and called restaurants and medical offices where phone numbers were available. Council asked staff to examine coordination with county alert systems and clarify notifications to restaurants about filtered water not being acceptable for ice and fountain drinks during boil notices.

Next steps: staff will evaluate improvements to notification protocols, pursue possible memoranda of understanding with neighboring jurisdictions for emergency water supply, and refine public communication strategies for future incidents.