The Tampa Water Department says its first round of testing shows no evidence of contamination in the water supply.
If results from the second round are also clean, residents can go back to using tap water. Those results are expected Thursday morning.
The water department says they collected twenty-four samples from locations throughout its service area.
These locations included nursing homes, hospitals and highly populated areas.
Repairs are officially complete on the damaged water main that forced the City of Tampa into a boil water notice, but there is still work to be done.
MORE: Boil water notice in Tampa to last until at least Thursday
UPDATE: Repairs have been completed on the damaged water main. Crews are now working to disinfect the new pipe & finish water quality testing of the system. The precautionary boil water notice remains in effect, but we are hopeful it can be lifted at some point on Thurs, Dec 9th. pic.twitter.com/0oSPbXgBEA
— City of Tampa (@CityofTampa) December 9, 2020
Crews are now working to disinfect the new pipe and still must test the water quality of the new system.
The city says the precautionary boil water notice remains in place for now, and can hopefully be lifted Thursday.
RELATED: City of Tampa offering free bottled water amid boil water notice
The Tampa Water Department said the water main break occurred outside their David L. Tippin Water Treatment Facility Monday.
They said a sub-contractor working nearby hit one of their transmissions, which was causing lower water pressure in the area.
At this time, residents are advised to take the following precautions to disinfect tap water to kill any bacteria or viruses that may have entered the water:
- Bring the water to a rolling boil and holding it there for one minute.
- Aerate the boiled water by pouring it from one container to another several times to improve the "flat" taste left by boiling, then refrigerate for best results.
- Use bleach if you cannot boil your water.
- Add eight drops (about 1/8th teaspoon) of bleach for one gallon of tap water, shake, then let stand for 30 minutes before drinking.
- Use food grade containers and unscented common household bleach that has 5% to 6% active ingredients.
- If the water is cloudy, use16 drops, about teaspoon of bleach instead of 8. There should be a slight chlorine odor.
- Use water purification tables or iodine that many sports and camping stores sell.
For more information about what to do when a precautionary boil water notice has been issued, click here.
