Palm Coast Water Treatment Plant Shutdown Following Mechanical Issue

Posted

Palm Coast, FLUpdate: Officials say Palm Coast's Water Treatment Plant 2 is back to regular operation as of Thursday night and testing shows that chlorine levels are in normal ranges.

Earlier Reporting:

A mechanical problem at one of Palm Coast's water treatment plants caused chlorine levels to get too high, prompting the city to temporarily shut down the water plant on Thursday.

The city's water supply was not disrupted and the customers who are typically served by Water Treatment Plant 2 are getting water from Palm Coast's two other plants instead. But officials say customers south of State Road 100 may notice a strong chlorine smell and/or taste until the system is fully flushed. If customers notice a strong chlorine smell or taste, they should flush their faucets or boil their water to get rid of the chlorine. Officials say the water is safe to drink, but it's better to get rid of the chlorine before drinking it. That can only be done by flushing faucets or boiling water.

Officials say some customers may also notice lower than usual water pressure and/or a discoloration in their water. Officials say the water is still safe to use. The discoloration is caused by an unrelated water main break in the F Section of Palm Coast earlier this week. Sediment in the lines is causing the discoloration.

The City of Palm Coast Utility Department discovered the high levels of chlorine at Water Treatment Plant 2 during routine testing. The plant, which serves the southern end of the city, was immediately taken offline. The city then started flushing hydrants and water mains in the LL, Z, and K sections. Officials say the water in the storage tank affected by the mechanical issue has been replaced with water that has normal levels of chlorine.

Palm Coast is in a period of using free chlorine, as opposed to combined chlorine/ammonia (chloramines), to disinfect the system. Because of this, the chlorine smell and taste were already more noticeable than it usually is. Thursday's issue at Water Treatment Plant 2 was mechanical and had nothing to do with the disinfection process.

Customers with questions can call Palm Coast Customer Service at 386-986-2360.

Copyright Southern Stone Communications 2018.