Bradenton Boil Water Notice Expected To Last Several Days

BRADENTON, FL — A loss of water pressure caused by a power outage has the city of Bradenton asking residents and business owners to take care to avoid possible contamination. A citywide boil water notice was put into place Tuesday as a precaution.

While power and water pressure have both been restored, the water supply needs to be tested to make certain no contamination occurred, an email from the city said. The process could take several days. (For more local news from Florida, click here to sign up for real-time news alerts and newsletters from Bradenton Patch, and click here to find your local Florida Patch. If you have an iPhone, click here to get the free Patch iPhone app.)

“As a precaution, we advise that all water used for drinking, cooking, making ice, brushing teeth or washing dishes be boiled," the email noted. “A rolling boil of one minute is sufficient.” Bottled water may also be used.

The boil water notice affects the entire city of Bradenton. It will remain in place until bacteriological testing shows that the water is safe to drink, the city noted. The earliest that is likely to be is Thursday afternoon, the city reported Tuesday.

Jim McLellan, Bradenton's public works director, said the loss of pressure that prompted the notice occurred Monday night.

"Our water treatment plant experienced a loss of communication with our high service pump station yesterday evening," McLellan said in a statement sent to Patch. "During that communication blackout, the SCADA system at the pump station defaulted to shutting down the pumps. Crews responded to the pump station by 8:15 p.m. and by 9 p.m. after the pumps had been manually restarted, water pressures throughout the system were restored. We are investigating today to ascertain what caused the loss of communication with the pump station so that appropriate measures can be implemented to address this type of situation."

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