West Palm Beach says drinking water remains safe and that cloudiness has cleared up

West Palm Beach Resolves Water Quality Issue

West Palm Beach says it has resolved the water quality issue it notified the public about last month.

Notification to Residents

• The city sent out a notice on July 18 telling residents its water system had “recently violated a drinking water requirement.”
• The city noted that, even in the aftermath of July 8 testing that showed turbidity levels above acceptable standards, there was no need for residents to boil their water as it was — and remains — safe to drink.

On July 18, the city sent out a notice telling residents its water system had “recently violated a drinking water requirement.”

“In July,” the notice stated, “samples collected from our water treatment process exceeded compliance for turbidity (cloudiness) units. Although this incident is not an emergency, as our customer, you have a right to know what is happening, what you should do, and what we are doing to correct this situation.”

Safe Drinking Water

The city noted that, even in the aftermath of July 8 testing that showed turbidity levels above acceptable standards, there was no need for residents to boil their water as it was — and remains — safe to drink, a point Diane Papadakos, the city’s director of communications, emphasized Thursday.

“To our residents and water customers, please be assured the water is safe to drink,” she said. “Even during the event of July 8, the drinking water remained safe. Safe drinking water is the utmost priority of our city and we continue to monitor our source waters, treatment, and water at the faucet for safety and compliance with all EPA and Health Department standards.”

Resolution of the Issue

Clear Lake is the source of West Palm Beach’s drinking water, and a dry spell had raised its turbidity levels.

“The elevated turbidity has challenged the treatment process, resulting in turbidity levels exceeding the EPA Treatment Technique Standard during July 2024,” the July 18 notice stated.

Papadakos said the city responded by adjusting the treatment process and operating procedures at the water treatment plant “to control and reduce turbidity.”

Continuous Monitoring

“Our continuous monitoring shows lake turbidity and treatment turbidity has returned to normal levels,” she said. “The city continues to monitor the Clear Lake turbidity levels and make treatment adjustments as needed to control the filtered water turbidity.”

Focus on Water Safety

Three years ago, an algal toxin contaminated the city’s water supply, forcing residents to use bottled water for a week and angering some who criticized how the city handled the problem.

In response, West Palm Beach began testing its drinking water more frequently for algal toxins and has set up a notification system to keep the public informed about sample findings.

Those changes were in keeping with recommendations from a panel of experts Mayor Keith James convened after sampling showed a cyanotoxin caused by blue green algae, or cylindrospermopsin, had been present in the water supply at levels above federal safety guidelines.

Future Plans

It’s a big reason officials are now looking to supplement the city’s surface water supply by tapping the brackish Floridan Aquifer. Using the stable but saltier groundwater from the aquifer means building an expensive reverse osmosis plant and 31 wells that can cost up to $5 million each.

SDGs, Targets, and Indicators Analysis

1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?

• SDG 6: Clean Water and Sanitation

The article discusses the water quality issue in West Palm Beach, which is directly related to SDG 6, which aims to ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all.

2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?

• Target 6.1: By 2030, achieve universal and equitable access to safe and affordable drinking water for all.
• Target 6.3: By 2030, improve water quality by reducing pollution, eliminating dumping and minimizing release of hazardous chemicals and materials, halving the proportion of untreated wastewater, and substantially increasing recycling and safe reuse globally.

The article mentions that the city of West Palm Beach resolved the water quality issue and assured residents that the water is safe to drink. This indicates progress towards achieving Target 6.1 of providing safe and affordable drinking water for all. Additionally, the city adjusted its treatment process and operating procedures to control and reduce turbidity, which aligns with Target 6.3 of improving water quality.

3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?

• Indicator 6.1.1: Proportion of population using safely managed drinking water services.
• Indicator 6.3.2: Proportion of bodies of water with good ambient water quality.

The article does not explicitly mention the specific indicators, but the resolution of the water quality issue and the assurance of safe drinking water imply progress towards Indicator 6.1.1. The improvement in turbidity levels and the monitoring of water quality suggest progress towards Indicator 6.3.2.

Table: SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

Source: palmbeachpost.com