Longboat Key boil water notice rescinded

Longboat Key’s emergency mandatory boil water notice has been rescinded.

The notice went into effect on Sept. 11 in the aftermath of Hurricane Irma. Manatee County, which manages the island's water supply, cut off water pressure to the island to prevent damaging the entire system in case the storm caused significant damage.

Like the rest of the region, Longboat was largely spared from the storm. The past few days, Longboat's water was tested in a laboratory to assure its quality before residents were allowed to consume it untreated.

Residents were able to resume normal water usage as of 12:30 on Sept. 14. As a precaution, the town government is asking residents to run water through pipes for a couple of minutes and to dispose of any accumulated ice produced in refrigerators during the past few days.

Meanwhile, the town is working with Florida Power & Light Co. to restore power to the nearly 20% of residents that lost electricity during the storm. Customers in areas without power are asked by town officials to limit water usage, such as toilet flushing, clothes washing, dish washing and other activities that contribute to the sewer system flows. Some lift stations are still down and until power is restored, over usage of water in these areas may cause sewage to overflow. 

The Town Hall Commission Chamber is still open as a “comfort station” to residents without power. From 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. residents can cool off in the building, charge phones and enjoy light refreshments.