Houston under boil water advisory following power outage at purification plant

More than 2 million people in Houston, Texas are under a boil water advisory following a power outage at a water purification plant. The power outage caused a drop in pressure potentially causing contamination, reports The Associated Press.

While there is no evidence that the water was in fact contaminated, Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner wrote that he issued a boil water notice, "based on regulatory requirements when pressure drops below 20 psi." He also noted that the water is being tested by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) and he expects the notice to be lifted by Tuesday.

Authorities recommend boiling water for at least two minutes for drinking, cooking, bathing, and washing to kill any bacteria or microbes. As a result of the advisory, Houston schools were closed on Monday, CNN reports. Some grocery stores have also limited water purchases as the demand has increased.

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Some started comparing this incident to the Texas power grid failures last February, prompting comments from Turner. "The February freeze is a totally sort of different matter," he said during a news conference. "You lost power and water and things remained down for several days, OK? For several days."

This incident comes only a few weeks after Jackson, Mississippi. also suffered from a contaminated water supply following a water plant failure.

"We are working closely with the City of Houston and stand ready to review the city's water sample results and offer any technical assistance that may be needed," said the TCEQ in a statement.