Pinellas County Utilities restores water service following blown transformer, boil water notice issued

Pinellas County Utilities has issued a boil water notice as of Feb. 11, at 10 p.m., for all customers on Treasure Island, St. Pete Beach and Tierra Verde, after crews restored water service from a blown transformer near the Isle of Capri pump station.

Residents should either use bottled water or boil tap water before using it for cooking, drinking or personal hygiene like brushing your teeth.

Take the following steps for tap water before using it for cooking, drinking or brushing your teeth:

• Bring a pot of water to a rolling boil for at least one minute to ensure bacteria, viruses or parasites are gone.
• If the water is cloudy, filter it through a clean cloth, paper towel, or coffee filter before boiling.
• Water must be adequately cooled before it can be used for washing or brushing teeth. Store the boiled water in clean, covered containers.
• If there is no way to boil water, impacted residents can add 1/8 teaspoon (eight drops or about 0.5 milliliters) of unscented, plain bleach per gallon of water, stir well and let stand for at least 30 minutes before using. This is less effective than boiling but will work if there is no way to boil water.

Pinellas County Utilities will test water quality until the water returns to safe drinking water standards and will issue an update when it is safe to resume regular water use.

Even though Pinellas Utilities crews rapidly restored water pressure after the power outage, low water pressure can allow contaminants to enter the water supply through cracks or joints in the pipes, which may lead to potential bacterial contamination. The boil water notice is a precaution until water testing can confirm water quality.

For updates, please visit Pinellas.gov/utilities.