A water main break on Jacksonville’s Southside has led to a boil water advisory for approximately 25,000 JEA customers, including several neighborhoods, a hospital, and a number of schools.
Customers impacted by the precautionary Boil Water Advisory (BWA) are being directly contacted by JEA via phone call, email and/or text message.
The affected areas are highlighted in red on a map provided by JEA. Customers residing within these zones have been advised to boil their water until further notice.
Baptist Medical Center South, Ponte Vedra High School and River City Science Academy are among those impacted by the water main break.
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Parents of Ponte Vedra High School students received a notification urging them to send their children to school with bottled water, as campus water fountains won’t be operational during this time.
“Please send your child to school with water in a water bottle. We will have additional bottled water available to students and staff (located near the cafeteria). Students will NOT be able to refill water bottles using campus fountains on these 2 days. Bathrooms will function as normal.”
River City Science Academy, while not shown on the advisory map, is also affected.
JEA crews have repaired the damaged water main near Philips Highway and Greenland Road. Water pressure should return to normal for customers in the southeast portion of JEA’s service territory, including the Philips Highway corridor south into Nocatee.
Jay Stowe, JEA Managing Director and CEO, expressed the significance of the water main’s size and location on the water system. JEA is also asking all of its water customers to conserve water, regardless of their location.
If you decide not to purchase bottled water, it’s recommended you boil water for at least one minute before using it. In the meantime, people are advised to be cautious and follow the guidelines.
Residents in the affected areas have been struggling with the water shortage, with one Southside resident highlighting the inconvenience of being without water since the morning hours.
“We haven’t had any water since then. I went to the store earlier and got some water. We have three dogs at home, can’t flush toilets, can’t do showers,” the resident shared.
Official updates from JEA are available here.
News4JAX will provide further updates on the situation, including any developments related to schools and services affected by the water main break.