MELBOURNE, Fla. — The City of Melbourne has issued a boil water notice for all of its water customers, roughly impacting 167,000 customers.
The issue is expected to be resolved in 48 hours. The notice advises boiling all water used for drinking, cooking, making ice, brushing teeth, or washing dishes.
E. coli bacteria were found during a routine sample point collection at a residence along Ashley Avenue in Indian Harbour Beach on April 10, 2025. The general location of the collected samples is on the map below.
E. coli bacteria can make consumers sick, which is especially concerning for people with weakened immune systems or underlying health concerns.
Melbourne released a statement to community members to provide additional safety measures and tips to take while the warning is still active.
What should I do? What does this mean?
• DO NOT DRINK THE WATER WITHOUT BOILING IT FIRST. Bring all water to a boil, let it boil for one minute and let it cool before using bottled water. Boiled or bottled water should be used for drinking, making ice, brushing teeth, washing dishes, and food preparation until further notice. Boiling kills bacteria and other organisms in the water.
• *E. coli are bacteria whose presence indicates that the water may be contaminated with human or animal wastes. Human pathogens in these wastes can cause short-term effects, such as diarrhea, cramps, nausea, headaches, or other symptoms. They may pose a greater health risk for infants, young children, the elderly, and people with severely compromised immune systems. *
• The symptoms above are not caused only by organisms in drinking water. If you experience any of these symptoms and they persist, you may want to seek medical advice. People at increased risk should seek advice from their healthcare providers about drinking this water.
What is being done?
Additional sampling upstream and downstream of 1037 Ashley Avenue in Indian Harbour Beach has been collected. We will inform you when tests show no bacteria are present and you no longer need to boil your water. We anticipate resolving the problem within 48 hours of this notification.
For more information, please contact David Phares at 321-608-5700. General guidelines on ways to lessen the risk of infection by bacteria and other disease-causing organisms are available on the EPA Ground Water and Drinking Water Website at https://www.epa.gov/ground-water-and-drinking-water.
We have been advised by the City of Melbourne that a sample of tested water had returned a result that indicated E.coli bacteria was present in their water system, which supplies drinking water to the City of West Melbourne.
Additional sampling and testing is being performed; however, results from those tests will not be available until 48 hours after the test. For updates or FAQ please visit the City of Melbourne’s website or contact them at 321-608-5700.
— West Melbourne Police Department
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