Tap water is safe to drink again in Melbourne and seven nearby towns. South Lakes is still being pumped out, and the St. Johns River is rising west of I-95.
Melbourne’s tap water is safe to drink again. The city lifted its precautionary boil water notice for every customer Thursday, a day earlier than it had estimated.
The city rescinded the notice after a bacteriological survey showed the water is safe. The notice had been in place since Monday, Nov. 2, when the record rain broke a water main.
The flooding is not over for everyone. City crews are still pumping water out of the South Lakes subdivision, and Brevard County warns that the St. Johns River is rising toward major flood stage west of Interstate 95.
What happened to the water
Monday’s notice covered all City of Melbourne water customers, the city said. That takes in more than the city itself. Melbourne’s water system serves:
- Melbourne, Melbourne Beach and Melbourne Village
- Indialantic, Indian Harbour Beach, Satellite Beach and Palm Shores
- West Melbourne, about four miles west, which buys its water wholesale from Melbourne
- unincorporated Brevard County south of the Pineda Causeway, for people who get a City of Melbourne water bill
Suntree and Viera are on the Cocoa water system, not Melbourne’s, the city said.
Some areas lost pressure or water altogether on Monday. At first, the city did not know where the break was. The city’s updates over the next four days show how it went:
| When | What the city said |
|---|---|
| Monday, Nov. 2 | Boil water notice for all customers; a main had broken at an unknown spot |
| Tuesday, Nov. 3, 10:50 a.m. | Pressure rising north of U.S. 192 and beachside |
| Tuesday, Nov. 3, 5:40 p.m. | Low pressure south of U.S. 192 between Dairy Road and U.S. 1; conserve water |
| Wednesday, Nov. 4, 9 a.m. | Notice could last through the end of Friday, Nov. 6 |
| Wednesday, Nov. 4, 2:40 p.m. | Break found and cut off from the system; service back for all customers |
| Thursday, Nov. 5, 8:40 a.m. | Repairs underway |
| Thursday, Nov. 5 | Notice rescinded |
The main “was damaged by the severe flooding experienced in south Melbourne,” the city said in its Wednesday afternoon update. It has not said where the main is or how big it is.
How much rain fell
The National Weather Service in Melbourne collected rain reports from midnight Sunday through noon Tuesday. Its public information statement of 1:13 p.m. Tuesday shows the heaviest totals just south of the city:
- 24.69 inches 1 mile north of Grant-Valkaria
- 24.52 inches 2 miles east of Malabar
- 22 inches 1 mile south of Palm Bay
- 18.18 inches 3 miles southeast of Melbourne Village
In Melbourne itself, the weather service office recorded 14.95 inches. The automated station at Melbourne International Airport logged 13.70 inches, and a gauge in Eau Gallie 13.30 inches. The statement notes that not all of the reports are official.
The forecast before the storm was far smaller. Sunday’s flood watch called for 1 to 3 inches, with 5 or more in spots, as we reported then.
Where it is still wet
South Lakes. City Streets and Stormwater crews have been working since Tuesday morning on Sun Lake Road and in the South Lakes subdivision, the city said Thursday. Pumps a few blocks to the northeast are moving the water out, and crews are clearing drains. “Water levels are improving, but there is still a lot of water on the streets,” the city said.
Roads. The city’s last road update, at 2:50 p.m. Wednesday, listed one closure: Sunlake Road at Babcock Street. John Rodes Boulevard had reopened. FL511 still showed Sunlake Road closed in both directions at Babcock Street (State Road 507) on Thursday evening.
The St. Johns River. Monday’s rain is now draining into the river west of the city. The county said the river reached 15.41 feet Wednesday afternoon and could flood yards and low-lying areas west of I-95. Homes along the river that flooded in past events are most at risk. The St. Johns flows from south to north, the county noted.
The National Water Prediction Service gauge near Cocoa read 16.9 feet Thursday evening, which is moderate flood stage. It forecasts 17.1 feet by Sunday evening, just over the 17-foot major flood mark.
The Indian River at Melbourne read 2.13 feet Thursday evening, the gauge shows. That is above the 1.8-foot action level and below the 2.5-foot minor flood mark.
Help for flooded homes
Brevard County has opened a request portal for free volunteer cleanup. Volunteers can help remove mud, ruined furniture, wet flooring and damp drywall. Help is not guaranteed and depends on how many volunteers are available, the county said.
To ask for help, fill in the county’s online form once per household, with:
- your name and contact details
- details about your household
- photos of the damaged areas
Two shelters are open for people forced out by the flooding, the county said:
- the American Red Cross shelter at the Wickham Park Senior Center in Melbourne
- the South Mainland Community Center, 3700 Allen Ave., in Micco, which takes pets and people with special needs
Bring your own bedding, medications, clothes and toiletries. For more information, call the county’s Community Information Hotline at 2-1-1.
What it means for you
- Tap water: you can drink it, cook with it and make ice again. If your water looks or tastes off, call Public Works and Utilities at 321-608-5000, or 321-255-4622 after hours.
- Did you miss the alert? The city sends boil water notices through AlertBrevard. If you can’t sign up online, call 321-608-5080.
- Sprinklers: keep them off. The city asked everyone to turn off automatic sprinklers, even where the water has gone, to ease the strain on storm drains. The winter watering rule is in our watering story.
- West of I-95: if you live near the St. Johns River, watch the gauge through the weekend.
- Trash: there is no Waste Management pickup Wednesday, Nov. 11, for Veterans Day, and City Hall is closed, the city said. Wednesday is recycling day. The schedule is on our trash and recycling page.
Road closures are on our road construction and closures page. Power problems go to the numbers on our power outages page.
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