Leak causing water pressure problems in Utrecht villages

A leaking water pipe in the province of Utrecht resulted in residents of the villages of Abcoude, Baambrugge, Vinkeveen, Loenersloot, and Wilnis having little to no water pressure on Monday morning. The leak was isolated and repairs started at around 11:30 a.m., water company Vitens said on Twitter.

Once the leak was isolated, all affected households had water again. The water company expected that the water pressure should return to normal during the course of the afternoon.

Some residents may notice brown water coming from their taps, even after the water pressure returned to normal. They are advised to let the water run until it runs clear. "That shouldn't take long," Vitens said on its website. "Brown water doesn't look great, but is not harmful to your health."

At least two primary schools in Abcoude had to close due to this outage leaving them without water. No water meant that kids and teachers couldn't wash their hands - one of the basic rules against the coronavirus. "Due to hygiene, we decided to close," a spokesperson for primary school Piet Mondriaan said to RTV Utrecht.