WHY IS THE ADVISORY LIFTED?

• The drinking water advisory issued on May 28, 2021 for the City of West Palm Beach drinking water system that supplies water to City of West Palm Beach, Town of Palm Beach and Town of South Palm Beach has been lifted.
• Samples collected on June 1 and June 2, 2021 show cylindrospermopsin in the drinking water at levels below the detection level (< 0.1 micrograms/liter (µg/L)) for the Florida Department of Environmental Protection’s laboratory, which are less than the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s cylindrospermopsin national drinking water Health Advisory Level of 0.7 µg/L.
• The City of West Palm Beach took the following actions to reduce impacts from the recent Blue-Green Algae bloom and the cylindrospermopsin levels: Isolating and treating the bloom in the western portion of the M-Canal until all visible signs of the bloom were gone, initiating operation of the emergency wellfields to provide a toxin-free source of water, closing of the Australian Avenue Gates and operating the Australian Avenue Pump Station, initiating addition of powdered activated carbon (PAC), increasing post-chlorine dosage following the filters, and switching to free chlorine within the treatment and distribution systems.

WHAT SHOULD I DO?

• Everyone may resume using the tap water for all uses.
• It is recommended that customers in the vulnerable populations flush their water systems for 5-10 minutes, if they have not been in routine use during the advisory, by running all hot water taps and then cold-water taps. Open any remaining fixtures such as hose bibs, external faucets or fixtures not used for drinking for at least 5 minutes to finish the plumbing system flushing.
• Customers in the vulnerable population should change water filters including the one on your refrigerator if you have an ice maker/water dispenser. Throw away all ice. Empty and clean any devices or small appliances (vaporizer/humidifier, CPAP, pet water, coffee makers, other health care devices) that may have come into contact with the water during the advisory, and throw out any food, drinks, baby formulas and medicines that were made with, or came into contact with the water during the advisory

   

• The City will also be increasing its routine sampling activities for the cyanotoxins levels in both the raw water and finished water. The City will utilize PAC and increased post-chlorine dosages to reduce levels in the tap water.