Winter Springs officials said they expect residents will be able to stop boiling their drinking water on Tuesday after a large oak tree toppled and damaged two water main lines early Thursday as Hurricane Ian plowed across Central Florida.
In Sanford, meanwhile, county officials said they anticipate water levels on Lake Monroe, which is part of the St. Johns River, will crest at the record level of 8.5 feet above sea level, according to a new forecast model. The last time the water reached that record high level was in 2008 after Tropical Storm Fay.
According to the National Weather Service, just over 16 inches of rain from the storm fell at the Orlando Sanford International Airport, the most of any area in Seminole County.
“We are expecting Lake Monroe to continue to fill over the next couple of days and hopefully crest at that time,” said Alan Harris, director of Seminole’s office of emergency management, during a press briefing Monday.
Harris also noted that flooding levels in the east Seminole community of Geneva near the St. Johns have started leveling off.
But “we anticipate more evacuations as floodwaters continue to rise along the entire St. Johns,” he said. “If you’re going to plan to evacuate we ask that you do that during daylight hours. That helps to save risk to our firefighters, law enforcement officers, National Guard units that are out on the field.”
In Winter Springs, city workers spent Monday flushing the repaired lines along Winter Springs Boulevard and the entrance to the Tuskawilla Country Club. They also sent water samples to a laboratory to check for harmful bacteria, and await word the water is safe before lifting the boil water notice.
Some residents, however, said they did not receive alerts and were alarmed that they were supposed to boil for one minute the water they used for drinking, cooking, washing dishes, brushing teeth or showering.
Winter Springs City Manager Shawn Boyle said residents were alerted about the “precautionary boil water alert” beginning Thursday through emails, text messages and press releases after the city discovered the cracked water line.
The alerts continued through the weekend, he said.
“The system itself never lost pressure,” Boyle said. “Although some residents may have seen a loss in pressure. … But we wanted to err on the side of caution. It’s better to be safe.”
Seminole officials said the county sent a reverse 911 notice about the boil water alert to more than 82,000 phones in the Winter Springs area. The county also distributed cases of bottled water over the weekend to city residents.
Regarding residents who did not receive the alerts, Deputy City Manager Casey Howard said it may be an issue with their phone carriers. She added that city employees went door-to-door to 376 homes near the site of the fallen tree to alert them that their water would be completely shut off for several hours for the repairs.
On Sunday afternoon, the city sent an email that city workers fixed the broken mains. But they urged residents to continue boiling their water.
“I’m a little perplexed,” Boyle said about some residents not receiving the alerts to boil their water.
In Seminole, county officials warned residents to avoid driving through flooded areas because the roadway may collapse.
“It is not worth risking your life to go into a roadway that is filled with water,” Harris said. “Sometimes the roadway will give way and there are washouts, and we’ve had a number of sinkholes during this event.”
Seminole continues to distribute sandbags at the Old Geneva Fire Station in the Mullet Lake area and at Wayside Park on U.S Highway 17 near Sanford.
County officials also said the animals at the Sanford Zoo and Botanical Gardens are safe.
“The zoo is closed. The roadway going into the zoo is full of water right now so you cannot get in or out,” Harris said. “However, the animals are all in good condition.”
mcomas@orlandosentinel.com
