Water in Las Olas Isles still not safe to drink

FORT LAUDERDALE It has been four days since residents in the Las Olas Isles area of Fort Lauderdale have been able to drink water from their taps without boiling it first — and it’ll be at least two days more before that changes.

The city extended the boil-water order until at least late Wednesday after the system failed to pass bacteriological tests. Tests must come back clean two consecutive days before the order can be lifted.

It first went into effect Thursday, coming just days after a citywide boil-water order caused when a Florida Power & Light contractor drilled into a main water line at Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport. That line fed the city’s aging Five Ash water treatment plant.

The city is still investigating the cause of last week’s Las Olas break, but city spokesman Chaz Adams said, “It appears prior underground work — possibly done by a contractor — may have damaged the pipe and contributed to the break.”

Residents have had enough of boiling their water. On Monday morning, “it was getting really tiring when I had to carry the boiled water from one room to the other,” said Suzee Bailey, of Nurmi Isle, who was bringing the water to bathrooms and other rooms where her family would use fresh water.

She said the water doesn’t look good.

“Now when we’re getting our water, it’s really dirty. It’s cloudy. Some of the water even has some debris in it,” Bailey said. “Even when you’re boiling it, it still looks dirty. … I think I’m killing the bacteria. I’m hoping I’m killing it.”

Combined with the earlier citywide boil-water order, the affected neighborhoods didn’t have fresh water two weekends in a row.

“I know it’s such a frustrating experience … having this on top of what we just went through with the executive airport break,” said Commissioner Steve Glassman, who represents the Las Olas Isles area.

City crews have been flushing water hydrants aggressively in the area to get out the remaining contaminants.

“The main concern is getting the water to clear the tests, which it just hasn’t done yet,” Glassman said.

The area is under a precautionary boil-water order, not a mandatory one. Under state regulations, boil-water orders are only mandatory if the presence of E. coli is detected in the water, which is not the case currently, Adams said.

Two of the three locations being tested have passed, but bacteria is still being detected at the third, Adams said. All must pass concurrently for two consecutive days, he said.

The break came in a 16-inch water main on Las Olas Boulevard at Bontona Avenue. The city will issue an update on Wednesday on whether the boil-water order is lifted or will continue.

The affected area includes finger isles to the north and south of Las Olas Boulevard east of downtown: South Gordon Road, Hendricks Isle, Isle of Venice, Fiesta Way, Nurmi Drive, Mola Avenue, Isle of Capri, Bontona Avenue, Coconut Isle, Lido Drive, San Marco Drive, Coral Way, and Royal Plaza Drive south of Las Olas Boulevard. Residents are encouraged not to use tap water for drinking, cooking, making ice, brushing teeth or washing dishes without boiling it first. A rolling boil of one minute is sufficient, officials said. As an alternative, bottled water can be used.