Fort Walton beach residents are being urged to get their houses in order after the city was forced to make repairs on hundreds of condo units because of a water issue.
Fort Walton Beach Mayor Rick Westley told CBC News the city’s water system is operating on a temporary water level, which means the city needs to make additional repairs.
Water is a key issue, he said, adding the city is using the emergency water rate to help pay for repairs.
The city also needs to find more ways to get the public back into the condos.
Westley said residents are still being advised to get back in the condos and that the city would provide more information on the situation as it becomes available.
The problem has been identified as the water system was running on water level when it was actually at a water level of less than the normal level.
The water system at Fort Walton is a temporary one, so it is a concern that the water is running on the normal water level at a higher level than normal, Westley added.
We are working on the plan to get people back into their homes as soon as possible.
We don’t have any specific timeline on when that might be.
The plan is to get everybody back in their homes on the same schedule as normal, but at the same time we are trying to make sure that we have the ability to address the issue in a timely manner.
The council voted Thursday to authorize $100 million in repairs.
Westley said he’s been working with the city to make improvements to the water supply and that he hopes the repairs will allow the city and residents to return to normal.
He added the city will continue to work to restore the water in Fort Wayne, but he added Fort Walton would not be able to provide residents with the same level of water service that it was at the start of the water crisis.
