Reporting a leak

How do I report a leak?

Contact our office at (850) 455-8552.

During normal business hours (8:00AM-4:30PM Monday-Friday) our customer service representatives will be happy to assist you in reporting the incident. During after-hours business reports, our emergency answering/paging system will prompt you to leave a brief message with the time, location of the leak, and call back number.

Precautionary Boil Water Notice (PBWN)?

A Precautionary boil water notice is a notice to customers required by the State of Florida, Department of Health and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection to be issued by a water utility when there is even the slightest chance of water system contamination that could affect public health.

Why is the PBWN issued?

A PBWN is issued when there is a possibility that the water pressure in the water system dropped to such an extent that harmful bacteria or foreign matter could have entered the water system. This may be caused by one or more of these reasons:

  • A water main break, utility repair, or distribution system maintenance
  • Damage to water lines or systems due to a tropical storm or hurricane or any other event
  • An electrical power outage to a water treatment plant or facility that could have prevented disinfection

How will I be notified of a PBWN?

Peoples Water Service will notify customers if a PBWN has been issued in their area. The Notice may be delivered by one or more of the following ways, depending on the number of customers affected:

  • Informational door hanger
  • Media Press Release to Local TV Station (WEAR 3)
  • Media Press Release to Local Radio Stations
  • Media Press Release to the Pensacola News Journal
  • Twitter Online Social Media Release
  • Online at WWW.PeoplesWaterService.Com Website

What to do during a PBWN?

When a precautionary boil water notice is issued you'll want to have a safe and adequate drinking water for cooking, brushing teeth, washing dishes, shaving, and making ice supply in your home until normal service can be restored. To do this you'll need to purify the water by using one of the following methods:

  1. Bring the water to a rolling boil for a period of one minute to render water microbiologically safe. Allow it to cool down before use.

  2. The water can be disinfected by adding 8 drops of unscented household bleach (4 - 6 % active ingredients) to each gallon of water, then mixing the water and allowing it to stand for a minimum period of 30-60 minutes.

  3. Other approved chemical disinfectants (purification tablets) are available at stores that sell camping and hiking supplies. Follow direction provided on the package.

When will I know my water is safe again?

Most Precautionary Boil Water Notices are issued until bacteria testing show that it is safe to drink the water. During this time, we collect several water samples in the affected area for two consecutive days and have them analyzed for the presence of bacteria. Once the laboratory has completed the required bacteriological testing and the test results indicate no presence of harmful bacteria, the PBWN will be rescinded/cancelled by one or more of the approved delivery methods (informational door hanger, media press release to radio and TV, utility website, and/or online Twitter media).