Boil Advisory Over: Here’s What Crystal, Golden Valley, and New Hope Residents Should Do Now

CRYSTAL, MN — The boil water advisory for Crystal, Golden Valley, and New Hope has been officially lifted as of Monday afternoon, according to city officials.

Testing by the Minnesota Department of Health confirmed that the water is safe to drink and use normally.

Residents and businesses may resume regular water use and no longer need to boil water before drinking, cooking, or brushing their teeth.

Next Steps for Residents

The Minnesota Department of Health recommends the following precautionary steps now that the advisory has ended:

• Flush household pipes and faucets. Run each cold-water faucet for 5 minutes or until the water is noticeably colder.
• Discard any existing ice. If you have an icemaker, flush the feed lines and throw away the first new bin of ice.
• Flush hot water heaters, water coolers, and other storage containers with at least one full tank volume.
• Clean water softeners and filters per the manufacturer’s instructions. Replace any disposable filters.

The cities thanked residents for their patience and cooperation during the advisory, which began Sunday

What Happened?

The advisory was issued after a temporary drop in water pressure raised the possibility that contaminants like bacteria could enter the water system. While no contamination was ever confirmed, the cities followed state health guidelines out of an abundance of caution.

"Thanks to support from the City of Minneapolis, the required testing process is underway. It takes 16–18 hours for results to come back, so the advisory will remain in place for at least 24 hours. When lab testing is complete, the information will be shared here as soon as it is available," the City of Crystal said in an earlier statement.

City crews had already fixed the pressure issue and began flushing and sampling the system on Sunday.

More Information Coming

Officials said they understand the public wants a clearer explanation of what happened.

Once all the data is reviewed, the Joint Water Commission (JWC), which provides water to Crystal, Golden Valley, and New Hope, plans to release a comprehensive report.

Since 1963, the JWC has supplied treated drinking water to the three cities. It purchases water from Minneapolis, stores it in local reservoirs and towers, and distributes it through city-operated systems.