jea-logo

Water Outages

 
Item

There are several reasons for a water outage – a water main pipe break, planned repair or construction activities, or by unintentional accidents. JEA must declare a water outage when the water pressure drops below 20 psi in a water transmission line. JEA follows many operational and maintenance safeguards to help protect the integrity of water quality during outages. 

Current Water Advisories  

Accordion
Accordion Item
Closed Title:Planned Water Outages
Open Text:

These outages usually occur when JEA or our contractors are working on a project to upgrade or improve the water lines in your neighborhood. While outages are never convenient, they are sometimes necessary for us to safely complete our work. We will notify you 24-48 hours in advance of any planned water outages.
Learn More About Planned JEA Projects

Accordion Item
Closed Title:Unplanned Water Outages
Open Text:

These type of outages are just that. Unplanned. The most common unplanned water outage occurs when a water main unexpectedly breaks. Unplanned outages can also occur during digging when equipment comes into contact with nearby water lines that have not been properly marked.
Learn More About the Importance of Ordering Underground Utility Locates

Accordion Item
Closed Title:Restoring Service Following a Water Outage
Open Text:

Rest assured, in the case of planned or unplanned outages, our crews will work as quickly and safely as possible to make the upgrades or repairs necessary to restore your water service.

Accordion Item
Closed Title:Water Pressure Changes Following a Water Outage
Open Text:

Customers may notice lower than normal water pressure after service has been restored. If low pressure continues, please remove the screens from your faucets, shower heads and washing machines to flush any loose sediment that may have been dislodged from older pipes on private property.

Following both planned and unplanned water outages, there is a chance a Precautionary Boil Water Advisory (BWA) will follow. Learn more below.

Item

Boil Water Advisories (BWA)

Florida Department of Environmental Protection and Florida Department of Health require JEA to issue precautionary boil water advisories to customers under several drinking water outage circumstances. Boil water advisories are required when: 

  • The outage impacts a large geographic area or a large population (more than 350 people or more than 150 metered services); or 
  • The duration of the outage has or is anticipated to last more than 8 hours; or 
  • Field crews suspect the water quality may have been jeopardized during the outage. 

Boil water advisories are issued as a precaution until samples can be analyzed by a laboratory to ensure the drinking water did not get contaminated. It typically takes up to 48 hours for a laboratory to determine if the water is safe. It is very rare for laboratory results to indicate the drinking water is not safe as a result of a water outage. However, JEA issues these boil water advisories on the conservative side of public safety.

Boil water advisories may also be issued to specific high risk customers who have experienced a water outage regardless of whether or not the overall geographic area or duration of the outage would meet the above criteria. High risk customers include the very old or very young who are more susceptible to waterborne illnesses (e.g. nursing homes, day care centers), as well as restaurants and healthcare centers. 

Accordion
Accordion Item
Closed Title:If a Boil Water Advisory Is Issued
Open Text:

Customers should boil water used for drinking and food preparation or use bottled water for those purposes while the BWA is in effect. Water used for these purposes should be brought to a rolling boil for a minimum of one minute prior to use for drinking, food preparation, or cooking. 

In the event of a power outage, customers may disinfect water using common household bleach. Customers should only use common household bleach that has 5 to 6 percent active ingredients and only use food grade containers. Customers should NOT use bleach that has perfume scents added (e.g. do NOT use lemon scented bleach, etc.).

  • Approximately eight (8) drops of bleach (which is about 1/8th of a teaspoon) should be added to one (1) gallon of tap water, shaken, and allowed to stand for 30 minutes before drinking. 
  • If the water is cloudy, approximately sixteen (16) drops of bleach (which is about 1/4 of a teaspoon) should be added to one (1) gallon of tap water, shaken, and allowed to stand for 30 minutes. There may be a slight chlorine odor and taste. 
  • For bleach with varying levels of sodium hypochlorite, please check the CDC’s website for more detailed instructions.

Restaurants should only serve bottled beverages or drinks prepared with boiling water. Food should not be prepared with water that has not been boiled. Employees should have alternate means of washing their hands to ensure cleanliness before handling food instead of using water directly from a faucet. Restaurants should contact the Department of Health, Department of Environmental Protection, or Bureau of Hotels and Restaurants for further instruction. 

 

Accordion Item
Closed Title:Not Sure if You're Affected?
Open Text:
  • For planned BWAs, we'll notify you prior to the event occurring. You are given at least two days notice for planned events, so that you can prepare for the BWA.
  • For unplanned BWAs, in the case of an unplanned water main break or pressure loss, you will be notified as soon as possible if a BWA is needed.

In both cases, JEA’s Incident Response group creates the BWA and emails a copy to and informs the crew leader, planner or construction inspector performing the work. These individuals then coordinate the delivery of these notices to you. Such notices include:

  • Hand-delivered door hangers from JEA water crews
  • Hand-delivered notices from JEA contractors
  • Emailed copies of the notice to affected businesses from JEA’s Water Team 

 

Accordion Item
Closed Title:Large Scale Boil Water Advisories
Open Text:

If an event affects a large amount of people, BWA signs may be used in lieu of hand-delivered notices. When the Incident Response group is informed that the results of the sampling are all clear, a lifting notice is drafted. BWA signs are then replaced with BWA lifted signs. If an outage appears to cover a large scale, media outlets are also notified as another layer of public notification. 

Related Links

  • Water Notices

    Current water service interruptions and water advisories in JEA's water service territory.