Delray Beach officials say water quality unaffected after main break; county interconnects provided supply

The City Commission received an update on a raw water main break that occurred during drilling work on a deep-injection well early Saturday morning.

Utilities Director Hassan Hajimere told the commission the impacted 36-inch raw water main can carry roughly 20 million gallons per day and that the break released millions of gallons before containment. City staff activated emergency interconnects with Palm Beach County and neighboring systems to preserve potable supply and maintain system pressure. Hajimere said the city expedited a scheduled chlorine maintenance (free chlorine burn) in coordination with the Florida Department of Health and emphasized that, to the city's knowledge and testing, finished water quality was not impacted.

Emergency contractor Johnson Davis was authorized to begin repairs; Hajimere said crews identified additional defective sections that will be replaced as the work proceeds. He told the commission that containment of the immediate break was achieved and that he expected full recovery within about a week. Commissioners thanked staff for the quick response and for the mutual-aid cooperation with county utilities.

During public comment and later discussion, residents asked about the timing and content of resident notifications and about visible street flooding at Southwest 4th Avenue; one resident provided video evidence and asked when residents had been informed. Staff said the city worked with communications staff over the weekend and that follow-up communication and outreach would be provided; the Department of Health had been notified.