UPDATE: Country Oaks Area Boil Water Notice Lifted

UPDATE: A renewed boil-water order has been lifted for homes in the Country Oaks neighborhood of Lake Wales. Testing has confirmed that no contaminants are present.

A boil-water notice reappeared on front doors across the Country Oaks neighborhood on the northeast side of Lake Wales after repeated interruptions in water service. A break in a 10" water line due to contractors serving the area is the reported problem. The notice says 330 customers in the area are affected.

The initial notice was posted after a pipeline breakage on July 15 and was lifted two days later. A new service outage occurred on Friday, resulting in another round of posted notices urging residents to boil or sterilize their water for "several days" while bacterial tests are conducted.

Reportedly the result of excavation work being conducted by contractors installing fiber-optics in the area, the breakage has resulted in at least two extended periods of no water service in the area, which is served by the City of Lake Wales utilities division. Low pressure during outages can potentially allow contaminants to leak into the pipes.

The notices from the City of Like Wales Water Department urge residents to bring water to a rolling boil for one minute, use a disinfecting chemical or water purification tablets. Using bleach, residents are instructed to add 1/8th teaspoon of bleach per gallon of water and allow it to stand for 30 minutes before consuming.

Consumption includes such uses as brushing teeth, washing fruits and vegetables, or making ice. Ice in automatic ice makers should be discarded. Residents with questions are encouraged to contact the water department by phoning 863-678-4182, extension 1026.

Deborah Partlow

This notice was taped to the doors of residences in the Country Oaks area Friday following two breaks in water lines serving the area. The order had been lifted on Wednesday following a prior break.

Some area residents found the emergency notices taped to their front doors. One complained to Lake Wales News that many residents enter through garages and are unlikely to find the notice on the primary entrance. On another occasion she later found the notice taped to the garage door, which disappeared when it was opened.

Contractors working for Frontier have been installing pipes that will contain the fiber optic cables across the city in a project announced nearly two years ago. The new optic cables will deliver low-cost internet access to residents.

Meanwhile, extensive earth-moving is taking place along Capps Road at the location of Hickory Ridge, an 85-lot single-family subdivision.

Lake Wales News expects to provide updated information regarding the outages when information is received from the City of Lake Wales.