H2OEach year, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) requires the City of Fort Lauderdale, and all other community water systems, to provide residents with a Consumer Confidence Report (CCR), also known as the Water Quality Report, by July 1 each year as part of the Safe Drinking Water Act. The City of Fort Lauderdale has released its 2021 Water Quality Report available for residents to view at www.fortlauderdale.gov/wqr.

This annual report was generated from approximately 100,000 tests performed on the City’s drinking water between January 1 and December 31, 2021, and includes important information about the City’s water source and supply, water treatment process, and specifics about the drinking water, including a table of various test results.
Overall, the City’s drinking water passed the quality tests. According to the City’s 2021 report, water for our consumption is pumped from wells that draw it from the Biscayne Aquifer, which is an underground water supply. Before it reaches the faucet, the water travels from the Biscayne Aquifer to one of the City’s two treatment plants – Fiveash, a lime softening plant, or Peele Dixie, a nanofiltration membrane plant. At the treatment plants, the water is softened, fluoridated, filtered, aerated, and cleaned to remove any naturally occurring minerals, particles, and dissolved gasses. The water is then disinfected with chloramines, and fluoride is added. Finished water is then pumped to storage tanks or to the distribution system for use.

The 2021 report available to all consumers includes a table that breaks out types of contaminants measured, dates of sampling, whether a violation occurred, the maximum contaminant level (MCL) as well as the maximum contaminant level goal (MCLG), and the likely source of contamination, such as erosion of natural deposits. All levels of contaminants were within the normal range, although typically on the high end of normal: View Results PDF Here.
For more information about the City’s annual quality report, residents can call the 24-hour customer service line at 954-828-8000 or check online at www.fortlauderdale.gov/wqr.
 

What About the Water In Our Canals?

 
HOAResidents of Seven Isles should be equally concerned about the quality of water in our canals. Within this newsletter, the HOA Board of Directors has often reminded residents to remain vigilant about contamination of the water in our canals. It is important to ensure that your lawn company is not blowing leaves and debris into your canal when performing routine lawn maintenance on your property. It is equally important to ensure that there are no live-aboards on vessels on your canal. Not only are vessel live-aboards illegal in Seven Isles, but live-aboards and everyone else are forbidden from dumping waste into our waterways, which can severely contaminate the water and affect its ecosystem along with the fish and other sea life.
There are other ways that residents can be vigilant stewards of our waterways. On June 20, some Seven Isles neighbors witnessed a barge operator sweeping debris and rust chips off the deck of a barge into the canal behind Delmar Place. This barge had been in operation behind the house on the corner of Delmar Place for several days. When confronted and told to stop sweeping debris into the canal, the barge operator yelled a string of expletives to the residents, including myself. Unfortunately, there was no company name on the barge. Recalling the presentation Inspector Manny Garcia gave to the Seven Isles HOA general membership in February, I contacted Inspector Garcia and provided information about what neighbors had witnessed, and requested that he intervene.
It isn’t always easy to take action, but we owe it to ourselves as a community to protect the quality of our water to whatever extent we can.