 WTOP's Neil Augenstein has been learning more about what exactly the problem was and how it was dealt with. The algae bloom in the Potomac and the Washington Aqueduct sedimentation ponds was clogging filters. The boil water alert was a prudent precaution to ensure public safety. Colonel S.D. Pinchasen with the Army Corps of Engineers. Our top priority was to ensure that we had firefighting capability, especially here, Fourth of July weekend here in D.C.,