Melbourne's water pressure restored; boil water advisory still in effect

Melbourne joined the post-Hurricane Irma drinking water fallout this week, putting some 150,000 people under a boil water notice, after a water main broke near the city's Lake Washington treatment plant.

All customers on Melbourne's water system, as well as some on the Cocoa, Palm Bay and Titusville water systems, were under boil water notices Friday.

Three weeks after Hurricane Irma brushed through Brevard, drinking water problems have nagged almost the county's entire 568,000 population. First, the county's largest water supplier, Cocoa, saw 42 water main breaks during Irma, leaving about a quarter of a million people without running water for a few days and boiling their water for a couple days after that. Uprooted trees caused a third of Cocoa's breaks but for 12 of the breaks the cause of the pipe failure remains undetermined. 

Now that Melbourne — Brevard's second largest water supplier — is under a boil notice, fast food and other restaurants must endure another weather-induced economic hit. Hospitals have to hold off on some surgeries. And those seeking to quench their thirst at water fountains at parks and schools found fountains bagged over, with warning signs. 

Here's the boil notice rundown: 

Melbourne

All customers remain under the boil notice that was issued Thursday.

By Friday afternoon, Melbourne had identified and repaired the valve at the source of the problem. The cause, however, remains under investigation. 

Melbourne city officials said that bacteriological survey results needed to clear the water for consumption will take days to complete. Officials are hoping the results will clear the city's water by Sunday.

While repairing the break, Melbourne officials asked all of the city's water customers to conserve water. Fixing the valve restored pressure throughout the city's service area.

However, FLORIDA TODAY received reports of "trickling water" in Palm Bay as of 6 p.m. Friday.

The water main break at Melbourne's water plant Thursday limited the city's ability to put water into the system and to produce water.  Water service was restored Thursday, but crews are still working to determine the cause of the water main break.

Due to the temporary drop in water pressure, as a precaution, the city advises customers to boil all water used for drinking, cooking, making ice, brushing teeth or washing dishes. A rolling boil of one minute is sufficient.

As more water pipes snap under water-logged, collapsing grounds, cities throughout Brevard County put thousands of customers under renewed boil water notices this week. 

Nearly a month after Hurricane Irma, heavy, non-tropical rains in the past week have only added strain on water infrastructure across the Space Coast. 

At the Sonic location on Wickham Road, assistant manager Sara Cerito said that she had seen a lot of upset customers since the decision was made to close the store for the duration of the advisory. 

"We had to boil water on the grill just to sanitize. We had to buy water from the store to wash our hands," Cerito said of the morning hours in which they remained open. "We were definitely on edge."

Health First in Melbourne's operations also have been impacted by the situation, but a release stated that preparations taken by the hospital and medical staff have made things easier. 

By moving patients to Health First hospitals in other locations, only one out of 45 scheduled surgeries had to be postponed.

Closed Health First facilities include: Care Coordination at Palms Point; Pro Health and Fitness Center, Melbourne; and Gateway, including the laboratory and urgent care. 

This precautionary boil water notice affects the following Melbourne water customers:

• Indialantic
• Indian Harbour Beach
• Melbourne
• Melbourne Beach
• Melbourne Village
• Palm Shores
• Satellite Beach
• Unincorporated Brevard South of Pineda Causeway. These include customers who live in unincorporated Brevard County located south of Pineda Causeway and receive a water bill from the city of Melbourne. (Suntree and Viera are served by the Cocoa water system, not Melbourne.)
• West Melbourne

For more information about Melbourne's drinking water situation, click on this city web site.

Palm Bay

On Thursday (Oct. 5), water service to utilities customers at certain addresses was shut down for crews to repair a service line, putting the following addresses under a boil notice: 

• 911 - 1081 Sunswept Road NE
• 905 - 995 Glenham Drive NE 
• 2596 Temple St. NE 
• 2666 Sunkist St. NE

Service to these customers was shut down at about 8 a.m. Thursday, and will be restored once all work is done.

Affected customers will be notified immediately once the boil water notice has been lifted.

For information, call 321-952-3410 or the after-hours emergency line at 321-952-3478. For updates, go to the department’s website at www.pbud.org.

Cocoa Beach

Due to a water main break at 4700 Ocean Beach Blvd., Cocoa Beach, several addresses are under a boil water notice, city of Cocoa officials announced on the city's website Thursday.

The boil notice affects the following areas:

• 4615, 4650, 4700, 4705, 4715, 4800, 4805, 4815, 4850, 4913, 5000, 5005, 5050, 5100 Ocean Beach Blvd

• 104-147 E. Pasco Lane

• 104-157 E. Park Lane

• 104-147 E. Osceola Lane

• 103-145 E. Alachua Lane

• 104-145 E. Leon Lane

For up-to-date information on bacteriological survey results in your area, visit www.cocoafl.org and click on “alerts.” Or call 321-433-8709, which will update bacteriological results that occur over the weekend and on holidays.

For other questions, call 321-433-8890.

Titusville

• Titusville lists 33 addresses under a precautionary boil notice: 
• Key Largo Drive – 4950, 4960.
• Key Largo Drive South – 530, 535, 560, 565, 590, 595, 600, 605, 620, 625, 640, 660, 665, 680, 685, 700, 705, 730, 735, 760, 765, 790, 795, 805, 815. 
• Cocoanut Drive – 4935, 4945, 4955, 4965, 4975, 4985.

Residents will be notified when the notice is lifted.

For information, visit http://www.titusville.com/

Brevard County

As of Friday, Oct. 6, Rodes Park and Community Center in West Melbourne has been closed due to a water shut off.

The status of the parks will continue to be monitored across Brevard. Additional information will be posted as it becomes available at www.brevardparks.com and on the Parks and Recreation social media pages.

Contact local parks to ensure they are open before visiting.

What to do when boil notice is canceled?

When the boil water advisory is canceled, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends the following:

• Flush pipes and faucets. Run cold water faucets continuously for at least 5 minutes.
• Flush water coolers. Run coolers with direct water connections for 5 minutes.
• Flush home automatic ice makers. Make three batches of ice cubes and discard all three batches.
• Run water softeners through a regeneration cycle.
• Drain and refill hot water heaters set below 113 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Change all point-of-entry and point-of-use water filters, including those associated with equipment that uses water.

Did you drink the water? The risk is still low, according to the Florida Department of Health. If someone experiences symptoms such as diarrhea, nausea, vomiting and abdominal cramps with or without fever, seek medical attention, health officials said.

Contact Waymer at jwaymer@floridatoday.com Follow him on Twitter@JWayEnviro and at facebook.com/jim.waymer.