A boil water-order for tap water on Anna Maria Island was issued Jan. 21 and lifted Jan. 24.
An initial test of the water revealed contaminants, but it was cleared in tests conducted before noon on Sunday.
A water line break shortly after noon Thursday at the intersection of 78th Street and Palm Drive opened the system to contaminants and prompted the Manatee County Utilities Department to issue the order.
The water line was shut down during the repair for about two hours to more than 3,000 users from the 5400 block of Gulf Drive northward to the tip of the island.
A 4-5 inch pipe repair was needed to remedy the broken line after standing water on the roadway generated a repair call to the MCUD.
“The problem was the valves and the connector,” according to Amy Pilson, MCUD public affairs liaison.
“A galvanized insert and a cast-iron pipe caused galvanic corrosion due to the dissimilar metals,” she added.
Pilson said the department used a “CodeRed” county database to notify customers by phone about the boil order being imposed and, subsequently, when it was lifted.
Though questions remain about the utility system holding up in the future — some of the pipes were laid 70 or 80 years ago — Pilson says a plan for improvements has been implemented over the past 10 years
“There’s not just one single main that takes water to the island,” she said.
Over the years, the line was patchworked to keep up with island development and “it’s not all on the same replacement schedule,” Pilson said.
While the improvements are ongoing, she did not know where the next replacements would take place.
At about 1:15 p.m. Jan. 21, Holmes Beach Police Detective Sgt. Brian Hall learned about the break as he tried to turn on the water at HBPD, 5801 Marina Drive, and “nothing came out.”
At 2:35 p.m., after utility crews arrived at the break on Palm Avenue, MCUD called customers to notify them of a 24-48 hour recommendation to boil water before consumption, while the county performed two sets of tests for possible contaminants.
The tests examine the system for bacteria, chlorine and “to make sure it’s up to drinking-water standards,” she added.
Pilson said the first round of testing showed two contamination issues. Test results Jan. 24 were negative for contaminants.