Emerald Coast Utilities Authority (ECUA) customers enjoy one of the best supplies of drinking water in the world, so a notice to boil tap water may seem like a needless inconvenience.
Typically, water service can be interrupted for any number of reasons, most commonly while repairs are made to a water main following a break, or in the course of scheduled maintenance and repair work.
During tropical storms or hurricanes when many uprooted trees cause hundreds of broken water and sewer lines, water service may be shut off system-wide. In this case, boil water notices are often issued until broken mains can be repaired and system pressures, and service, are restored.
It may seem that this is an added cost in manpower, time, and materials to the utilities, and certainly an inconvenience to those water users affected. However, we believe that these safeguards are put in place by our regulatory agencies (EPA and FDEP) to protect our customers, and are therefore worth the added time and cost to the ECUA.
Why is the issuance of a boil water notice required? When breaks or changes occur in water lines, if the normal pressure in the line is lost, the possibility exists for contaminants to enter that line. The odds of this happening are extremely remote, but to be extra cautious, precautionary boil water notices (PBWNs) are placed in effect while routine bacteriological sampling is conducted. Usually, two separate sets of samples are taken (again to be extra cautious), each needing 24 hours to be considered complete. When both sets of samples return "clean", the precautionary boil water notice is lifted. These advisories only affect water that is intended for drinking or cooking.
Depending on the number of customers affected, we may use a variety of methods to communicate boil water notices to our customers. These include informational door hangers, media news reports via online, print, radio, and television news, as well as on social media, via a reverse telephone notification system, and the ECUA's website. Updated information and rescissions of PBWNs are always issued through the same method used for the issuance.
Please call us at (850) 476-0480 with questions or concerns. The Escambia County Health Department can also assist with answers to your questions. Call the Environmental Health division at (850) 595-6700 for assistance.
What Should You Do?
How to purify water - When a precautionary boil water notice is issued you’ll want to have a safe and adequate drinking water supply in your home until service can be restored. To do this you’ll need to purify the water by using one of several methods:
Boiling
Boil vigorously for 3 to 5 minutes and let cool.
Hypochlorite Bleach
Use regular liquid bleach from the home laundry or grocery store. DO NOT use bleach that has a fragrance or scent. You can find information about the percentage of chlorine available on the label and it should be 5.25%. Add eight drops to a gallon of water and let stand at least 30 minutes. If the water has a strong chlorine smell after 30 minutes, pour back and forth between two clean jugs or containers until the smell has dissipated.
Purification Tablets
These can be purchased from a drugstore. Keep them with your hurricane supplies and use them according to the directions on the package.
How To Store Purified Water
To keep drinking water safe from contamination, it should be stored in clean, non-corrosive, tightly covered containers.
Prepare three gallons of water per day for each family member and any family pets.
To increase the shelf life of water, group bottles in dark plastic trash bags to keep light out. Store containers in a cool, dark location.
CAUTION: Make sure children don't mistake bottles containing hazardous substances for bottles used for drinking water.
How To Turn Off Your Water:
Your water can be shut off at either the cut-off valve or at the water meter. Everyone in your home should know where these are located. The valve, which may have a wheel-type handle, is normally under the water faucet outside (usually in the front of the house or by the garage door), 18 inches below the ground, and 2 feet from the house, in line with your water meter. Some valves are located directly behind your property line near the street. The valve can be operated to provide water, if available, for sanitary services only on or after thorough disinfection following approved Health Department guidelines.