PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. — A water main break has caused a precautionary boil water notice to be issued for parts of Pinellas County.
According to the county, the notice applies to the areas of Redington Shores and portions of Seminole and Indian Shores. In Seminole, the area extends from 94th Avenue North to Park Boulevard, and from 125th Street North to Oakhurst Road.
The county utility department said the soonest the boil water notice could be lifted is Wednesday morning. It is dependent on the results of water testing, the county says the boil water notice will be lifted in 48 hours.
"We collect two samples, which began last night and again this morning," said Hillary Weber, Deputy Director of Utilities in Pinellas County.
Until bacterial testing can be completed, people are asked to boil tap water for at least three minutes.
The water main break happened late Monday afternoon under the Park Street Bridge.
Water is safe for showering and washing hands. The county said to make sure not to accidentally swallow water in the shower while a notice is in place.
The county alerts residents to emergencies, like water main breaks, through its Alert Pinellas program. You can sign up for free here.
Roughly 3,500 customers were impacted. Jim Lawson, the owner of Wahoo's Waterfront dining is one of them. When the water was shut off entirely on Monday, he had to clear out his dining room.
"Last night, we had to do to-go's only because of [the water main break,]" said Lawson.
Lawson said he's dealt with water problems in Redington Shores before, but never to this extent.
"It takes a little longer," he said. "We have to prep up, so we have to boil water."
Lawson and his team came in early, bowling giant pots of water to be used for cooking, cleaning dishes, and making sweet tea.