Boil Water Notice: Florida Urges People to Boil Tap Water as a Safety Precaution
On the morning of Wednesday, December 27, officials in Northwest Hillsborough County said that they need people to be careful with their water. This is because a big water pipe broke near Ehrlich Road close to Summerwind Drive.
This affects homes and businesses in Northwest Hillsborough County. There are two types of notices they can give about boiling water: one is just to be careful, and the other is when you really have to do it. In this case, it’s just a careful one. They tell people in that area to boil their water before using it for drinking or cleaning, just in case there might be a problem with the water.
This happens when there’s a chance that the water people drink might not be safe.
Hillsborough County Releases Map Showing Regions Affected by Boil Water Advisory
Something went wrong in Northwest Hillsborough County when a big water pipe near Ehrlich Road broke. Because of this, they had to tell people to boil their water.
The Hillsborough County Water Resources gave a warning to people and businesses in the HCPUD Northwest drinking water system. The water pressure became too low in some parts of the county because of the broken pipe.
The county notice said that about 23,368 homes and businesses had to be careful with their water. They also showed a map of the areas that were affected. Here’s the map:
Like I mentioned before, there are two types of boil water notices, one you must follow, and the other is just to be safe, like the one happening now.
Most times, they just want to be careful, so they tell people to boil their water before using it. This happens when there’s a small chance that the water might not be safe because of things like a broken pipe or low water pressure. It’s just a way to be really sure and cautious.
The Hillsborough County website explains that this usually happens when there’s a break in the water pipe or when there’s not enough water pressure. They only do this to be extra safe. The notice from Hillsborough County about the water issue says:
“This notice means customers in impacted areas are advised, as a precautionary measure, to boil all tap water used for cooking, drinking, making ice, brushing teeth, or washing dishes.”
“A full rolling boil for 1 minute is sufficient; cool before using. Allow the water to run until it is clear before washing clothes. Discard any ice from automatic ice makers. As an alternative, bottled water may be used.”
The notice said that the water was okay at that time, but they still wanted people to be careful. So, they told residents and businesses to boil their water before using it, just to be safe. They’ll let everyone know when it’s okay not to do that anymore.
When everything is checked and confirmed to be good, they will send out a notice to let everyone know they can stop boiling their water. This usually takes about 48 hours.