Everybody in the Pool!

The Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission (WSSC) has lifted water restrictions after the successful replacement of a large section of a 96-inch water main in Potomac. Residents there had been living with those restrictions since Thursday. The announcement came earlier this morning.

And local governments are coming up with ways to help you keep your cool as we suffer unhealthy air quality and broiling heat. In the District of Columbia, Mayor Adrian Fenty announced the expansion of library and pool hours, and services designed to assist those most vulnerable to heat-related illnesses.

Here are some of the details from a press release from the Mayor's Office:

Residents may visit any of the cooling centers located throughout the city.


All Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR) outdoor pools are opening two hours early at 11 am and closing one hour later, by 9 pm. The following pools are operating on extended hours:


• Anacostia, 1800 Anacostia Drive, SE, (202) 724-1441


• Banneker, 2500 Georgia Avenue, NW, (202) 673-2121


• Benning Park, Southern Avenue and Fable Street, SE, (202) 645- 5044


• Douglass, Frederick Douglass Court and Stanton Terrace, SE, (202) 645- 5045


• Fort Dupont, Ridge Road and Burns Street, SE, (202) 645-5046


• Fort Stanton, 1800 Erie Street, SE, (202) 645- 5047


• Harry Thomas Sr., 1743 Lincoln Road, NE, (202) 541-7499


• Oxon Run, 4th Street and Mississippi Avenue, SE, (202) 645-5042


• Theodore R. Hagans Jr., 3201 Fort Lincoln Drive, NE, (202) 576-6389


• Volta Park (formerly Georgetown), 3400 Volta Place, NW, (202) 282-0381


Select District of Columbia Public Libraries (DCPL) will extend hours until 9 pm. This includes the following facilities:

• Anacostia Library, 1800 Good Hope Road, SE, (202) 715-7707


• Benning Library, 3935 Benning Road, NE, (202) 281-2583


• Cleveland Park Library, 3310 Connecticut Avenue, NW, (202) 282-3080


• Georgetown Interim Library, 3307 M Street, NW, (202) 724-8783


• Lamond-Riggs Neighborhood Library, 5401 South Dakota Avenue, NE, (202) 541-6255


• Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library, 901 G Street, NW, (202) 727-0321


• Northwest One Neighborhood Library, 155 L Street, NW, (202) 939-5946


• Palisades Neighborhood Library, 4901 V Street, NW, (202) 282-3139


• Southeast Neighborhood Library, 403 7th Street, SE, (202) 698-3377


• Takoma Park Neighborhood Library, 416 Cedar Street, NW, (202) 576-7252


• Washington Highlands Interim Library, 4037 South Capitol Street, SW, (202) 243-1184


The DC Office on Aging (DCOA) will extend its service and senior wellness centers hours to 7 pm. Seniors who need transportation to a cooling center may call 311.


• Congress Heights Senior Wellness Center, 3500 Martin Luther King, Jr., Avenue, SE, (202) 563-7225


• Hattie Holmes Senior Wellness Center, 324 Kennedy Street, NW, (202) 291-6170


• Model Cities Senior Wellness Center, 1901 Evarts Street, NE, (202) 635-1900


• Washington Seniors Wellness Center, 3001 Alabama Avenue, SE, (202) 581-9355

The Department of Health advises residents to stay indoors, limit strenuous outdoor activities, wear light-colored, loose-fitting clothing, and drink plenty of fluids – preferably water. Those who experience throbbing headaches, weakness, dizziness, nausea or vomiting should seek immediate medical attention as they could be signs of heat-related illnesses. Those at greatest risk for heat-related illnesses are: infants, children up to four years old, people 65 years old and over, people who are overweight, and people who are ill or on certain medications.

For a full listing of all cooling centers and resources available to residents, please call 311 or visit www.dc.gov.