BROWARD COUNTY, Fla. – People living in parts of Broward County made do with a precautionary boil water order after E. coli was detected in a sample of untreated water from the South Broward Regional Wellfield.
Cities included in the advisory are Dania Beach, Hallandale Beach, Hollywood and Broward County Water and Wastewater Services customers in parts of Dania Beach, Hollywood, Miramar (area bounded by Pembroke Road to the north, S.R. 7 to the east, Southwest 25th Street to the south, Florida's Turnpike to the west), West Park, Pembroke Park and Pembroke Pines. This also includes the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport and Florida Power and Light.
Click here to view a map of the areas affected.
"As long as this pool water is clean and I think it is with all the chlorine, we're going to have a good time," said Joshua Tandlich.
Offerdahl's Cafe Grill on Hollywood Boulevard was one of the few places serving coffee Thursday morning. They welcomed customers from a nearby, coffee-less Starbucks.
"I got some half and half at home and I'm going to make coffee at home from bottled water," said one woman.
Dyantha Doe bought 50 gallons of water from Publix for animals at a nearby pet store.
"I'm just calculating by this weekend," she said. "We have hundreds of animals at the warehouse. We just need to see if the water warning will be lifted. If not, I'll be back again."
Residents in affected areas are asked to boil water used for drinking. The notice will remain in effect until a bacteriological survey shows that the water is safe to drink.
- Boil water before use, holding it to a rolling boil for one minute (preferred method)
- Disinfect water by adding eight drops of plain unscented household bleach per gallon of water, and let it stand for 30 minutes before drinking it. If the water remains cloudy after 30 minutes, repeat the procedure
- Use bottled water
Click here to read the county's notice.
Inadequately treated or inadequately protected water may contain disease-causing organisms. These organisms can cause symptoms such as diarrhea, nausea, cramps, and associated headaches. Fecal indicators are microbes whose presence indicates that the water may be contaminated with human or animal wastes. Microbes in these wastes can cause short-term health effects, such as diarrhea, cramps, nausea, headaches, or other symptoms. They may pose a special health risk for infants, young children, some of the elderly, and people with severely compromised immune systems. These symptoms are not caused only by organisms in drinking water. If you experience any of these symptoms and they persist, you may want to seek medical advice.
For more information, contact Broward County Water and Wastewater Services at 954-831-3250.