- April 20, 2024
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UPDATE: Sept. 30:
The boil water order for the city of Bunnell was lifted the afternoon of Thursday, Sept. 29.
UPDATE: Sept. 28:
Regular water service to the city of Bunnell was restored at about 11 a.m. Sept. 26, but the boil water order remains in effect.
The Bunnell water plant's loss of pressure occurred because sensors that detect the water level in the tanks malfunctioned, City Manager Dan Davis said.
The sensors are on floats hanging from long lines, and the lines became tangled, raising them out of the water, Davis said. The sensors therefore registered low water, initiating an automatic shutdown of the systems pumps to prevent damage that would be caused by running them when the water is too low.
Workers have untangeld the floats.
"To prevent that from happening again, we're going to go to a digital-type sensor system," Davis said.
Bunnell officials will discuss a potential timeframe for lifting the boil water order during a meeting with Department of Environmental Protection officials planned for 3 p.m. Sept. 28.
ORIGINAL STORY:
The city of Bunnell issued a precautionary boil water notice the morning of Sept. 26 to customers of the city's utility system, advising customers to boil their water for at least one minute before using it for drinking, brushing teeth, washing dishes, cooking or making ice.
An automated call warning about the boil water notice was sent out to Bunnell residents registered for Flagler County emergency alerts at about 9:15 a.m. City officials did not know as of 10:30 a.m. how long it would take to fix the problem that led to the notice.
"We have technicians working on it, and it's their priority to get it back online as fast as possible," City Manager Dan Davis said.
The precautionary boil water notice was issued early the morning of Sept. 26 after the water plant had a loss of pressure as workers tried to repair a pump that had failed on a water tank.
The city was left without water pressure for 30 or 40 minutes, leaving some residents with dry taps in their homes, Davis said.
"They closed down the main water plant to make some repairs, which resulted in a loss of service in some areas," Davis said. "Even the ones that are getting it, the pressure’s dropped, so we’re asking all residents to boil water or use bottled water until further notice. "
Bunnell then interconnected with the city of Palm Coast's water supply to restore water to its tanks so that all residents would have running water while repairs are underway at the Bunnell plant.
"We have an agreement with Palm Coast, and we have connections to their water supply, and we have opened up that valve so we’re now getting city of Palm Coast water," Davis said.
The city of Bunnell will be charged by the gallon for the Palm Coast water under an interlocal agreement, Davis said. Officials are not sure how much it will cost the city to repair the damage to the water plant.
The issuance of the boil water notice was voluntary on the city’s part, Davis said, because the loss of pressure at the water plant did not last long enough that the city would be required by state regulation to issue a boil water notice, and there were no contaminants found at the plant. It is therefore a precautionary boil water notice, not a mandatory boil water notice.
Plantation Bay residents are not included in the boil water notice because they do not get their water from the city of Bunnell’s water plant.
Updates on the boil water notice will be posted to bunnellcity.us. Residents with questions can call the Bunnell City Hall at 437-7500.
This story will be updated as more information becomes available.
