Over 66,000 households near Zeist are without water after water main break

Tens of thousands of households between Utrecht and Amersfoort were affected by a water main break on Thursday afternoon. The incident was first reported around 12:45 p.m.. but water company Vitens hoped to complete repairs by the end of the afternoon.

Roughly 66,000 residences in and around Zeist were affected. Other areas impacted include Driebergen-Rijssenburg, Austerlitz, and Bosch en Duin. Some households found themselves without running water. Others had low water pressure.

“The leak has been found. We are trying to restore water pressure to a large proportion of affected households as quickly as possible. The water pressure is expected to stabilize around 4:15 P.M.,” Vitens announced. “The area around Nijenheim and De Clomp in Zeist will experience a disruption for some time. It is expected that this will last until 12 a.m. We apologize for the inconvenience.”

Some of the affected households could also experience brown water flowing from the tap, the company said. “This mainly occurs in the event of malfunctions or work. The brown color is caused by particles of iron and manganese that occur naturally in the water.” While the water looks undrinkable, the company said it is safe for everyone except elderly people and babies.

Once water is restored, people can run their water taps closed to the water meter. The brown water should turn clear again when the taps are opened wide for up to ten minutes.