DeBary, FL – Thousands of Volusia County utilities customers are under a precautionary boil water notice due to a mechanical issue at a water treatment plant.
Volusia County officials say around 7,500 homes and businesses in DeBary and Orange City are impacted by the notice after it was issued just before 10am Wednesday.
County spokeswoman Pat Kuehn says the water treatment plant in DeBary had temporary water pressure loss just after 4am Wednesday because of an unspecified mechanical failure.
“Pressure has been fully restored at the facility,” Kuehn added. “Residents are strongly encouraged to bring cooking or drinking water to a rolling boil for one minute before use. Bottled water may be used as an alternative.”
Volusia’s Water Resources & Utilities Division will be testing the water for unsafe bacteria over the next 2 days to make sure the water is safe to drink, per Kuehn.
“When satisfactory testing has been completed, the notice will be rescinded and residents can resume normal usage,” Kuehn noted. “Customers should wait until they receive a rescission notice from Volusia County Water Resources & Utilities before resuming normal usage.”
The boil water notice doesn’t affect homes or businesses in DeBary and Orange City that have private wells or Orange City residents who get water through the city.
Volusia’s Water Resources & Utilities Division Mike Ulrich says the problem that caused the mechanical failure – which lasted for around 30 minutes – seems to lie in the automation software used at the plant, but more testing will be needed before they can say for sure if that’s the case.
Ulrich also added that his workers have been on overdrive to get the word out to all affected customers, be it by flyer, electronic message boards at subdivisions and the CodeRED system.
Anyone who wants more information can call the Volusia County Water Resources & Utilities Division at 386-736-5971.
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