38K affected by Hallandale Beach boil water notice

HALLANDALE BEACH – A burst pipe at the Hallandale Beach Water Plant has resulted in a city wide boil water advisory until further notice, city officials announced Wednesday.

Residents and businesses are being advised to boil all water before using for drinking, food preparation, and even brushing teeth, officials said.

The pipe burst happened about 11 a.m. on the grounds of the water plant at 630 NW 2nd St., said Hallandale Beach Fire Rescue Division Chief Lori Williams.

“It’s actually a 24-inch pipe, a feeder pipe to a majority of the city,” she said. “It was on the premises of the water plant.”

It was a spontaneous water main break, she said, not the result of a work crew digging and hitting the pipeline.

A drop in water pressure was reported by several calls from city’s 37,800 residents, Williams said.

“As it stands, it appears everybody has been affected,” she said. “I’ve received calls from I-95 all the way down to South Ocean Drive regarding the low pressure.”

The city has tapped into a line from North Miami Beach to keep water flowing.

“We are borrowing water,” she said. “The city is currently under a boil water alert until further notice.”

The repairs were expected to take several hours but the boil water notice will last until several water tests around the city show negative results for bacterial contamination.

Once the boil water notice is lifted, the city will post messages on its website and on social media sites.

While the Boil Water Notice is in place, the City offers the following recommendations:

Do not drink water without boiling it first. Bring all filtered water to a boil, boil it for 1 minute and let it cool before using.

Use bottled water, but please recycle or reuse the containers.

If you are not using a filter on your faucet, flush your water for at least 7 minutes before collecting any to boil. Boil filtered, boiled flushed or bottled water should be used for drinking, making ice, brushing teeth, washing dishes, and preparing food. Boiling kills bacteria and other organisms in the water. Continue using boiled or bottled water until further notice.

Due to the pressure loss, there may be trapped air or loose sediment in water lines. The air and sediment may be removed by flushing your water system. Do not flush your system through the filter. The resulting air and sediment may affect the performance of your filter and the filter cartridge should be replaced after the boil water advisory is lifted.

Williams said the cause of utility issues and infrastructure problems appears to be age and growth.

JOE CAVARETTA/SOUTH FLORIDA SUN SENTINEL Hallandale Beach was placed under a boil water advisory Wednesday after a pipe burst at the city’s water plant.