Drink up.
On Saturday, the City of Melbourne gave the “all clear,” rescinding the precautionary boil water notice issued on Aug. 14 after a bacteriological survey confirmed the water is safe to drink.
The original notice affected approximately 1,200 customers – or 4,000 residents, including those living in Indialantic, south of Fifth Avenue, as well as Melbourne Beach and the unincorporated area south of Melbourne Beach.
Customers remained under a precautionary boil water notice for three days.
The notice was issued after a drill bit became snagged on a service line as a contractor was drilling a hole, causing a “serious” break.
The work being done is part of the Riverside Drive Water Main Replacement, a project initiated when Indialantic officials requested that the City of Melbourne replace 4,660 linear feet of 12-inch cast-iron water main in the area, before the town goes forward with a planned resurfacing of Riverside Drive from U.S. 192 to Miami Avenue.
“Usually water main breaks are caused by an accident of some sort,” said Cheryl Mall, spokesperson for the City of Melbourne. “We also had a break occur when a car ran into a fire hydrant. They can also be caused by storm surge during a hurricane.”
A precautionary boil water notice is issued when the water pressure drops below the minimum of 20 psi allowed by state regulations.
Mall explained that water pressure keeps pollutants from entering the underground pipes that bring drinking water to homes and businesses. When the pressure is lost, it is possible that contaminants could seep into the pipes.
But Mall says “precautionary” is the key adjective.
“If we issue a precautionary boil water notice, this does not mean that the water is contaminated; it means that it is possible for contaminants to enter the pipes and affect drinking water,” Mall said. “Until the required bacteriological testing is completed, the city recommends, as a precaution, boiling tap water before consuming it to kill any potential contaminants or using bottled water.”
Last year the city issued 43 precautionary boil water notices, 14 of which included beachside customers. So far this year, they have issued 19, with nine that included beachside customers.