Montgomery County Schools have announced that they are closing 2 and 1/2 hours early today due to the very large Bethesda water main break that damaged River Rd. and forced the rescue of 15 people from about a dozen stranded vehicles. The Post reports that school officials closed the campuses because the main break "has caused widespread water outages in schools across the lower part of the county," affecting the availability of water and heat in numerous schools. Students are being bussed home.

The Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission says, however, that all customers in the area should have had their service restored by 2 p.m.

River Road will continue to be closed for a long time while repairs continue on the broken 66–inch water main and the damaged roadway.

WSSC is also reassuring customers that water currently coming out of its pipes is safe to drink, despite the possibility of discoloration for the next 12 to 24 hours due to sedimentation. They do however recommend not preparing baby formula or washing clothes with any discolored water.