CHARLOTTE COUNTY, Fla.-UPDATE: The precautionary boil water notice for the Port Charlotte water system is lifted.

Charlotte County Utilities (CCU) has declared a precautionary boil water notice for portions of the Charlotte County Utilities service area, east of Collingswood Boulevard to the East including from the Town Center Mall to the Peace River bridges.

There was a failure at the Peace River water treatment plant at approximately 8:00 p.m. on Thursday. The repairs have been made and the system water pressure was returned to normal at 9:00 p.m. The affected customers will remain under a boil water notice until further notice.

Due to a water pressure dropping below 20 PSI for over an hour, including a loss in system pressure in numerous areas of the service area from this failure, and as a precautionary measure, Charlotte County Utilities is requesting that all customers in the effected area, boil their water intended for drinking or cooking at a rolling boil for a minimum of one minute. Should boiling of water not be possible, tap water can be disinfected by adding eight drops of unscented household bleach to each gallon of water, then mixing the water and allowing it to stand for a minimum of 30 minutes. 

CCU will provide a rescission notice as soon as the water quality is confirmed to be safe for human consumption. As an alternative, bottled water could be used.