Boil water advisory impacts three suburbs amid valve malfunction

On July 13, 2025, a boil water advisory was issued for the cities of Crystal, Golden Valley, and New Hope in the northwestern Twin Cities metro area of Minnesota, following a significant water outage. The advisory was caused by a malfunctioning valve in the Golden Valley water tower, which adversely affected water pressure in the system shared by all three cities. As a precaution, Hennepin County advised residents to boil their tap water for one minute before using it for drinking, cooking, and brushing teeth to ensure safety. Residents were given guidance to use bottled water until the advisory was lifted. New Hope city officials communicated the situation through a Facebook post, indicating that their staff worked diligently to rectify the loss of pressure in the water system. By 9:30 a.m. that morning, they provided an update confirming the restoration efforts, though they awaited further validation from health authorities to ensure the water's safety. Public health measures prompted by the advisory discouraged the use of tap water for any consumption-related activities, while still permitting non-consumable uses such as washing hands or household cleaning. As authorities investigated the incident, officials from Golden Valley provided a reassuring announcement on Monday afternoon that the boil water advisory had been lifted. This came as welcome news to residents and businesses alike, as they were able to resume regular water usage following the thorough safety checks mandated by the Minnesota Department of Health. The health department's recommendations included running cold-water faucets to cool the water, discarding ice from ice makers, and flushing water systems to remove any stagnant water that might have collected during the advisory period. Despite the incident's resolution, officials indicated that they would continue to gather data related to the water outage and its causes. A comprehensive update was promised once sufficient information had been collected. This event underscored the importance of maintaining infrastructure for public utilities and demonstrated the swift response of city officials amidst an unexpected emergency that affected multiple suburbs. The incident also highlighted the need for ongoing assessments of water systems to prevent future occurrences of similar issues.