West Palm Beach ends water advisory. What's next?

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (CBS12) — West Palm Beach's water advisory was lifted Friday afternoon, just shy of a week after the city first announced toxins from blue-green algae were discovered in the water.

The toxin, cylindrospermopsin, is dangerous to those in vulnerable demographics like: pregnant and nursing mothers, children under six years old, people with liver conditions, and people on dialysis.

At a press conference Friday, officials said vulnerable residents of West Palm Beach, Palm Beach, and South Palm Beach should flush their water system for five-to-10 minutes and throw out any ice or baby formula made with water prior to when the advisory was lifted on Friday afternoon.

Officials also encouraged vulnerable residents to change their water filters and clean devices like coffee makers.

"The lifting of this water advisory is great, great news," West Palm Beach Mayor Keith James said in the Friday news conference. "We understand that you trust us with your safety, your families safe, and the safety of your business. To us that is a sacred trust. We value that trust and we value you."

James and the city faced criticism that they informed residents of the water eight days after the first tests showed levels of toxins in the water. The City's Director of Public Utilities said in a Thursday news conference that more retesting had to be done on those samples.

Additionally, on Thursday, the city provided reporters with copies of emails, showing that Mayor James and other city staff became aware of the issue late Friday, shortly before the state Department of Health issued the advisory.

CBS 12 News asked Mayor James what he believes the city could do better if this happens again.

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"I'd rather look forward than backward. There are lessons learned and before I throw out a very quick response to that I do want to get a team of experts in," he responded. "Life is all about learning and we hope to be better tomorrow than we are today."

Mayor James said the city is bringing in an expert, outside panel to examine how the city gets and distributes its water. James added he's also considering bringing on an internal consult to examine how his office and the city handled the situation.

Meanwhile, West Palm Beach is faced with limited options on improving its water services. The city mainly uses surface water from Clear Lake for its water supply, which can be prone to algal blooms. Currently, the city is mixing water from Clear Lake with well water pumped from the city's emergency aquafers to lessen the levels of harmful chemicals.

Some have suggested moving the city to permanently draw most of its water from those aquafers, in order to eliminate the chances of toxins from algae again. However, CBS 12 News found that is logistically challenging.

Additionally, the aquifers themselves are at constant risk from sea level rise fueled by climate change, explains Florida State University oceanography professor Jeff Chanton. He notes that, as sea levels rise, salt water permeates the aquifers, mixing with the fresh water.

Chanton warns the process will only continue as sea levels keep rising, due to climate change, posing a larger, serious risk to the state water supply.

"As sea level rises, that place where the freshwater meets the salt water is going to move inland," he said. "Things are happening so fast right now...I would certainly suspect that in decades this is going to become a real problem in South Florida."