Fort Lauderdale could be without water until Friday due to water main break, officials say

The residents of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, could be without water service until Friday morning, thanks to a water main break, according to a news release from the city.

The service outage will also impact surrounding municipalities that receive their water from the city, including Lauderdale-by-the-Sea, Oakland Park, Wilton Manors and sections of Davie and Tamarac, according to the city’s Twitter page.

Fort Lauderdale Mayor Dean Trantalis said in a news conference that a 42-inch water main was damaged Wednesday by a subcontractor working to repair electric lines near the city’s Executive Airport for Florida Power & Light.

Crews responded immediately, but as they were working, the damaged pipe collapsed, forcing the city to turn off the water flow.

“City crews are working as fast as they can to restore service,” Trantalis said. “If everything goes well, we could have service restored by this evening.”

Still, city officials want residents to be prepared to be without water service. Emergency procedures have been set up in the meantime, Trantalis said, and there are set locations for residents in need to receive bottled water.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said on Twitter that his office is offering any assistance that the city needs.

A boil water advisory has also been put into effect, Trantalis said.