Montgomery water restrictions ordered

Outages prompt safety advisory in parts of county

The mandatory restrictions on water use, including clothes and dish washing, came after a break in a major water main Sunday night that affected neighborhoods north of Randolph Road, including Burtonsville, Gaithersburg, Germantown, Olney and Hampshire Green.

Homes and businesses in those areas had no water, or low water pressure, hampering daily routines.

Problems were noticed in some areas about 9:30 p.m. Sunday and a few callers to the utility’s customer service center encountered busy signals when attempting to report problems.

Because of the drop in water pressure, ‘‘there is an increased risk of contamination,” the WSSC said in issuing the boil-water advisory as a precaution.

Customers of the Rockville water system are not covered by the restrictions and it was unclear if a water main break Sunday afternoon in the Glenmont area was connected to the more widespread problems.

The utility has not detected contamination but the boil-water advisory is expected to stay in place ‘‘until further notice and the water pressure is returned and the system is thoroughly flushed,” a process that is expected to extend into Wednesday, according to a statement.

Restrictions on use, expected to be in place most of Monday, are needed to maintain water pressure for fire hydrants. Outside watering, filling of swimming pools, and clothes and dish washing are covered by the mandatory restrictions.

The utility also asks its customers to limit the flushing of toilets.

The ‘‘service advisories” portion of the WSSC website was not updated Monday morning and WSSC publicists could not be reached early Monday.