Melbourne issues boil water notice for all customers after bacteria found

Melbourne issued a boil water notice for all of their 167,000 customers after a test found E. coli in the city water supply.

Customers of Melbourne water were notified on Thursday, August 28 about the contaminated sample.

The warning is a result of E. coli bacteria detected in a routine water sample collected on August 28, 2025, at 1215 Sun Circle East in Melbourne. These bacteria can cause illness, particularly in individuals with weakened immune systems.

This positive result may be due to a sampling error as it was isolated to a single location within the water system. However, bacterial contamination can occur when runoff, often following heavy rainfall, enters the drinking water source.

What happens next

Melbourne officials said additional samples have been collected upstream and downstream of the location. This situation is expected to be resolved within 48 hours.

What you need to know

Use the following precautions: Before using tap water for drinking, cooking, brushing teeth or making ice, it should be brought to a rolling boil for at least one minute.

According to the Florida Department of Health, it is safe to shower or bathe during a boil water advisory if no water is swallowed. Individuals with weakened immune systems or open wounds should take extra care—covering wounds or opting for sponge baths using boiled water. Young children should be closely supervised during bathing to prevent accidental ingestion of water.

Is it safe to eat at resturants?

When a boil water notice is issued many people wonder if it’s safe to dine at restaurants.

The answer is yes, as long as strict safety measures are followed by restaurants and their guests.

• Tap water should not be served. Use only bottled water. Boiled water (at a rolling boil for one minute) may be used. Disconnect drinking fountains and soda machines.
• Bagged ice can be used. Ice produced in ice machines should not be used and machines not restarted until after the notice is lifted and machine is emptied and cleaned.
• Use bottled water for handwashing. Use sanitizing solution after washing. Single use gloves may be used.
• Food equipment, utensils and food-contact surfaces may be cleaned with steam, with no additives, a sanitizing mix of bottled or boiled water and bleach or approved sanitizing solution.
• Do not use tap water for food processing and preparation, use only bottled water.
• Manually wash, rinse and sanitize dishes, food equipment and utensils using bottled water from an approved source. Whenever possible, use single-service items.
• Mechanical dishwashers can be used to remove food residue and debris, but must be followed by the as described above.

The full boil water guidelines can be found at Floridahealth.gov.

Amber Olesen is FLORIDA TODAY’s food and dining reporter. Reach her at aolesen@floridatoday.com.