Richardson, TX – The water in Richardson is now drinkable.

City officials gave the green light after receiving the results of laboratory tests of the water Friday afternoon.

The boil water advisory was issued Wednesday after a water tower lost all pressure, causing equipment to fail and water pressure to drop. The decline has raised concerns about dangerous bacteria, creating health risks for residents.

“Around mid-afternoon, we began receiving complaints from residents and other users regarding the water pressure. This prompted us to investigate our distribution system. We discovered that a telemetry sensor in the Holly water tower was faulty and was not sending information back to our monitoring stations,” said City Manager Don Magner. “The water in this tower had completely receded, even though the sensor still reported it at 10 feet.”

The advisory affected approximately 17,000 homes and businesses in the area bounded by Coit Road, Arapaho Road, US Highway 75 and Spring Valley Road.

Five schools closed on Thursday also reopened on Friday with restrictions. Water fountains were not used and students were given cold meals, city officials said. The schools affected were Arapaho Classical Magnet, Dover Elementary, Heights Elementary, Richardson West Junior High and Richardson High School.

The city distributed bottled water while the boil water advisory was in effect. Some of this bottled water had an expiration date of March 2024.

“The water was donated by the North Texas Food Bank, which assured the city that it remained safe for consumption, saying there were no health concerns associated with drinking bottled water beyond its printing date,” the city said in a statement.

Richardson said he would stop handing out these bottles. Anyone who wants a replacement package can pick one up at the water distribution center.