A water/sewer rate increase of 8.0% was approved at the January 19, 2021, City Council meeting in City Council Chambers. The rate increase is effective October 1, 2022, and will cost the average residential user of 6,000 gallons approximately an additional $5.49 per month.

The Water Resources Department handles the pumping, treatment, storage and transfer of drinking water and the collection, treatment and disposal of sanitary sewage.

Need to report a leak or other issue?

Call (352) 351-6775

PUBLIC NOTICE:

DRINKING WATER PROBLEM CORRECTED

Customers of the city of Ocala were notified on 4/27/2023 of a problem with our drinking water and were advised of the issue of one of our source wells testing positive for E. Coli. We are pleased to report that the problem has been corrected. We apologize for any inconvenience and thank you for your patience.

The raw water source well that had tested positive for E. Coli was removed from service. Five repeat samples were taken for testing. Test results came back negative.  

For more information, please contact Benjamin Moose at 352-629-8212 or write to 4200 SE 24^th St. Ocala, FL 34471. 

Please share this information with all the other people who drink this water, especially those who may not have received this notice directly (for example, people in apartments, nursing homes, schools, and businesses). You can do this by posting this notice in a public place or distributing copies by hand or mail.

This notice is being sent to you by the city of Ocala State Water System ID#: 3420922.  Date distributed: 5/4/23 

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IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT YOUR DRINKING WATER

 The City of Ocala Tested Positive for Fecal Indicator

Our water system recently detected a fecal indicator, E. coli in our well. As our customers, you have a right to know what happened and what we are doing to correct this situation. On 4/27/23, we learned that our assessment sample(s) for the month of April were E. coli positive. As required by EPA’s Ground Water Rule, one of our follow up steps is to collect additional samples from this well within 24 hours to determine the extent of the problem.  This sampling will occur on 4/27/23.

What should I do?

You do not need to boil your water or take other corrective actions. The sample tested was the raw water directly from the well. Once water is pumped from a well it is disinfected with chlorine before it is distributed to the public. However, if you have specific health concerns, consult your doctor.

Fecal indicators are microbes whose presence indicates that the water may be contaminated with human or animal wastes. Microbes in these wastes can cause short-term health effects, such as diarrhea, cramps, nausea, headaches, or other symptoms. They may pose a special health risk for infants, young children, some of the elderly, and people with severely compromised immune systems.

The symptoms above are not caused only by organisms in drinking water. If you experience any of these symptoms and they persist, you may want to seek medical advice. People at increased risk should seek advice from their health care providers about drinking this water.

What is being done?

We are increasing sampling at our sources to determine the source of the contamination. Five back-to-back well repeat samples will be taken within 24 hours. The well that tested positive for E. coli has been taken offline and will remain offline until follow-up sampling shows the well is absent of contamination. Samples collected from treated water in the distribution system were absent for coliform. We will keep you informed of the steps we are taking to protect your drinking water and will provide information on any steps you should be taking until this problem is corrected.

For more information, please contact Benjamin Moose at 352-629-8212 or write to 4200 SE 24^th St.  

Please share this information with all people who drink this water, especially those who may not have received this notice directly (for example, people in apartments, nursing homes, schools, and businesses). You can do this by posting this notice in a public place or distributing copies by hand or mail.

This notice is being sent to you by The City of Ocala

State Water System ID# 3420922   Date Sent: 4/27/23