Planned pipe work disrupts water service at 144 restaurants in downtown Tacoma, Hilltop
At least 144 restaurants, bars and food service businesses might be closed tonight due to disrupted water service.
The area runs from North 3rd Street on the west side of Stadium, across downtown along Stadium Way and through Hilltop along I Street, and then east all the way to South 27th Street. Most of the main drag of Pacific Avenue, as well as Jefferson Avenue near 7 Seas Brewing, appears to be outside the affected zone, according to a map released by Tacoma Public Utilities.
TPU said Friday it had received reports of “cloudy water” since crews began planned work at 8 p.m. Thursday to “shift the path of water feeding the Hilltop, Stadium and Downtown areas.”
The agency warned the adjustment would “disrupt typical flow patterns in the pipe … and could result in discolored water due to sediment.” Any issue might occur within 24 hours, it said Thursday night.
No business or residential home would lose water service, TPU said, but customers should try to avoid using water for a couple of hours “to allow the sediments to settle.” Check for clear water by running the cold taps in your bathroom or from an outside hose for more than 60 seconds.
The Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department alerted more than 140 businesses in the dense commercial districts around downtown Friday at about 3:30 p.m.
Restaurants, grocery stores and any food business licensed by the health department must take specific steps until water runs clear from all taps. They must halt dishwashing and produce washing, and turn off ice, soda and coffee machines or any equipment that draws water during use.
These kinds of hiccups also require food establishments to flush lines completely until water runs clear. That means ice must be “burned,” in industry speak — or doused with hot water — and dishwashers emptied and, again, refilled only when the water runs clear.
If you notice discolored water at home, repeat the wait-and-flush process before calling Tacoma Water at 253-502-8384 to report further issues.