Okaloosa County Water & Sewer has rescinded the boil water notice issued last week for certain customers in unincorporated Fort Walton Beach and unincorporated Mary Esther (Florosa), the utility announced June 5.
- “The satisfactory completion of sampling and testing shows the water is safe to drink,” Mark Wise, deputy director of Okaloosa County Water & Sewer, wrote in the rescission notice.
The notice applied to customers of the Okaloosa Main Public Water System, State Water System ID #1460506. Affected areas were detailed in maps released by OCWS Engineering on June 4.
The utility issued the original advisory June 4 after a June 2 raw water sample from the Hawkins Well tested positive for E. coli, a potential indicator of fecal coliform. The well, one of several feeding the South Potable Water System, was taken offline and pumped overboard rather than into the distribution system while additional testing was conducted.
In the original notice, OCWS said all samples taken in the distribution system had tested negative for E. coli, and that the single positive result from the raw, untreated sample most likely indicated a sampling error at the Hawkins Well or an issue tied to recently completed maintenance at the site.
Customers had been advised to boil tap water for one minute before drinking, making ice, brushing teeth, washing dishes or preparing food, or to use bottled water, until further notice.
OCWS apologized for the inconvenience in its rescission notice and thanked customers for their patience. Residents with questions can reach Okaloosa County Water & Sewer at 850-651-7171 during business hours or 850-651-7174 after hours.
