Boil-water order impacts small areas of Broward County

Fort Lauderdale lifts boil-water order for most neighborhoods

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – Broward County authorities are warning that a boil-water notice remains in effect Sunday in Lauderdale-by-the-Sea, Oakland Park, Port Everglades, Sea Ranch Lakes, Wilton Manors and areas of Fort Lauderdale, Davie and Tamarac.

Dayana Diaz, a Fort Lauderdale spokeswoman, reported crews are testing the valves that failed when Florida Communication Concepts, a subcontractor for Florida Power & Light, drilled into a 42-inch pipe Wednesday. The valve was supposed to redirect the flow to the backup system. 

Mayor Dean Trantalis told reporters that when the damaged pipe that supplies water to the Fiveash Regional Water Treatment Plant collapsed, the city was forced to cut off the water supply. About 220,000 customers experienced a service disruption on Thursday. 

"Over the next week, a contractor will begin staging equipment and materials in preparation to begin making the permanent repair to the pipe," Diaz wrote in an e-mail to Local 10 News. "We do not anticipate any interruptions to water service while the permanent repair is being made."

After the valves failed, a patch was placed on the pipe and a backup line was used to redirect the water flow. Diaz reported the Fiveash Regional Water Treatment Plant, which was designed to treat 8 million gallons per day, is operating at "normal" production levels. 

In Fort Lauderdale, the boil-water order remains in effect Sunday evening for areas in the city's Harbor Beach, Harbour Inlet, Harbour Isles and Breakwater Surf Homes neighborhoods.

Officials continued the distribution of water bottles from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. at three locations in Fort Lauderdale: The Beach Community Center at 3351 NE 33rd Ave., the Mills Pond Park at 2201 NW 9th Ave., and the Riverland Park at 950 SW 27th Ave.

INFRASTRUCTURE PROBLEMS

During This Week In South Florida Sunday, Brittany Wallman, the Sun Sentinel's Fort Lauderdale City Hall reporter, told Local 10 News reporters Glenna Milberg and Michael Putney that the water/sewer system hasn't been properly maintained. 

"What should have happened is when the line was bridged, they would have simply moved the water over to the backup pipe and that didn't happen," Wallman said, adding that the valves had not been tested in 8 years. 

The Sun Sentinel reported the water crisis this week has raised concerns among experts about the condition of the city’s water/sewer system and the years of neglect that could leave the city in the same predicament at any time.

"These are problems that will take 20 years, to take down this to do list and this pipe here wasn't even on the priority list, so you can't tear up the entire city and get all of this down in five years, " Wallman said. 

The city's aging infrastructure has also been dealing with wastewater infiltration and inflow when excess ground or stormwater flows into the sewer system. There is an ongoing program to regain capacity lost at the G.T. Lohmeyer Wastewater Treatment Plant.

For more information about the order, call Fort Lauderdale's 24-hour call center at 954-828-8000.

Here is w h a t t o do :

F ill a pot with wat e r .

He a t the wat er u n til bubbles c ome f r om the bot t om of the po t to the top .

On c e the wat er r eaches a r olling boi l , let it boil f or 1 minu t e .

T u r n off the he a t sou r c e and let the wat er c oo l .

P our the wat er i nt o a clean c o n tainer with a c ov er f or s t o r ag e .

I f tap wa t er is cloud y

F il t er wat er using clean cloth.

U se unscented bleach  (bleach th a t does not h av e an added s c e n t).

A dd 1/4 t easpoon of unscented household liquid bleach t o 1 gallon (16 cups) of wat e r .

M ix w ell and w ait 30 minu t es or mo r e be f o r e d r in k in g .

St o r e disin f e c t ed wat er in clean c o n tainer with a c ov e r .

To sanitize containers

U se unscented bleach (bleach th a t does not h av e an added s c e n t).

Make a sanitizing solution by mixing 1 t easpoon of unscented household liquid bleach in 1 qua r t (32 oun c e s , 4 cup s , or about 1 li t er) of wat e r .

P our this sanitizing solution i nt o a clean s t o r age c o n tainer and shake w el l , ma k ing su r e th a t the solution c o a ts the e n ti r e inside of the c o n taine r .

L et the clean storage container sit a t least 30 se c ond s , and then pour the solution out of the container.

Let empty container air dry or rinse it with clean water that has already been made safe, if available. Never mix bleach with ammonia or other cleaners. Open windows and doors to get fresh air when you use bleach.

W a t er fil t ers

B oil tap wat er e v en if it is fil t e r e d . Most kitchen and other household w at er fil t ers typically do not r em ov e ba c t e r ia or viruse s .

Pr eparing and c o o k ing f oo d

W ash all fruits and v egetable s with boiled water that has cooled or bottled water .

B r ing wat er t o a r olling boil f or 1 minu t e be f o r e adding f oo d to cook .

U se boiled wat er when p r epa r ing d r ink s , such as c of f e e , t ea, and lemonade

Wash food preparation surfaces with boiled water.

F eeding babies and using f ormula

B r east f eeding is bes t . C o n tinue t o b r east f ee d . I f b r east f eeding is not an option:

U se r ead y - t o -use baby f o r mula, if possibl e .

P r epa r e p ow de r ed or c on c e n t rat ed baby f o r mula with bottled wat e r . U se boiled wat er if y ou do not h av e bottled wat e r . Disin f e c t wat er f or baby f o r mula if y ou cannot boil y our wat er (see ab ov e f or di r e c tions on h o w t o use bleach t o disin f e c t wat er).

W ash and s t e r ili z e bottles and nipples be f o r e us e .

I f y ou cannot s t e r ili z e bottle s , t r y t o use singl e -se r v e , r ead y - t o - f eed bottle s .

I ce

D o not use i c e f r om i c e t r a y s , i c e dispenser s , or i c e maker s .

T h ro w out all i c e made with tap wat e r .

M ake new i c e with boiled or bottled wat e r .

W ashing dishes

Household dis h w ashers generally a r e sa f e t o use if the wat er r eaches a final rinse t empe ra tu r e of a t least 150 de g r ees or if the dis h w asher has a sanitizing c y cl e .

T o w ash dishes b y hand

W ash and r inse the dishes as y ou no r mally w ould using hot wat e r .

I n a sepa rat e basin, add 1 t easpoon of uns c e nt ed household liquid bleach f or each gallon of w a r m wat e r .

S oak the r insed dishes in the wat er f or a t least one minu t e .

L et the dishes air d r y c omple t el y .

Bathing and showering

Be careful not to swallow any water when bathing or showering.

Use caution when bathing babies and young children. Consider giving them a sponge bath to reduce the chance of them swallowing water.

Brushing teeth
Brush teeth with boiled or bottled water. Do not use untreated tap water.

P ets

P ets can get some of the same diseases as peopl e . I t is a good idea t o g i v e them boiled wat e r that has been cooled .

Source: Centers for Disease Control

 

 

 

 


About the Author:

The Emmy Award-winning journalist joined the Local 10 News team in 2013. She wrote for the Miami Herald for more than 9 years and won a Green Eyeshade Award.