VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — UPDATE: A news release from the city on Thursday morning said that the notice had been lifted and business could resume as usual.
Business owners at Marketplace at Hilltop off Laskin and First Colonial Roads in Virginia Beach were working around a boil water notice.
Leaders with Public Utilities said a contractor struck a fire hydrant Tuesday afternoon and it leaked.
"We don't know how much of the outside water got in or not, maybe not much at all, maybe nothing at all. But there's no way to know that without testing," said Utility Laboratory Supervisor Susan Sadowski.
She said the first sample from Tuesday evening came back negative on Wednesday.
"We test for coliform," Sadowski said. "There was no bacteria, no issues whatsoever. That's good."
But since water in the impacted area can't be used for drinking or eating as is while the notice is in effect, Bangkok Garden and Gigi's Cupcakes are using bottled water for cooking and baking.
At Panera Bread, a sign said self-serve ice and soda are not available for now; neither are fountain drinks at Moe’s Southwest Grill.
Some customers walked up to signs saying some spots at the plaza, like Chipotle and Crumbl Cookies, are temporarily closed.
Frequent shopper Blanca Villar said she's hopeful business owners get the all-clear as swiftly as possible.
"Businesses are already struggling, so it's kind of important that it's quick," she said.
Back with Sadowski, she said she will read the second sample between 4 a.m. and 10 a.m. on Thursday.
"We want to do our part and do things as efficiently as we can. So, that's why we have this particular bracket of sometime between 4 o'clock in the morning and 10 o'clock in the morning. I think it's going to be closer to 4 than 10."
If that result comes back negative, the boil water notice will lift as soon as she can get the word out.
In a news release, Virginia Beach city leaders offered the following boil water instructions. They said to first flush all cold-water faucets for approximately two to three minutes.
Before drinking the water or using it in food preparation, it has to come to a rolling boil for about one minute and then cool down.
City officials reminded that hot tap water is not a substitute for boiling water.