For Immediate Release – August 22, 2024
City of Florence Provides Customers with Debriefing Report Following System-Wide Water Pressure Occurrence on Friday, August 16, 2024
Media Contacts:
Josh Whittington, Utility Operations Director – 843-665-3236 or jwhittington@cityofflorence.com
FLORENCE, SC – After bringing the City of Florence Surface Water treatment plant back online and restoring water system pressures on the evening of Friday, August 16, 2024, city utilities staff conducted required collection and testing of samples from throughout the system on Saturday, August 17, 2024, and by midday on Sunday, August 18, 2024, a press release was issued lifting the Boil Water Advisory. On Monday, August 19, 2024, City Manager, Scotty Davis, tasked Josh Whittington, Utility Operations Director, with debriefing all staff involved, creating a detailed timeline for public review, and identifying improvements to prevent future issues.
Attached are a detailed timeline of events, boil water advisory information, water sampling summary with locations and results, chain of custody forms, and the city’s Laboratory Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for Bacteriological Analysis. These documents are also available on our website at the following link: https://bit.ly/lowwaterpressureeventreport
To address water quality concerns, the City of Florence has contracted with CDM Smith, who initially designed and oversaw the construction of the Surface Water Treatment plant. CDM Smith operators are on-site for training and will collaborate with city staff and AECOM, the city’s water/sewer line consulting engineering firm, on improvements for surface and groundwater.
City Manager, Scotty Davis, said, “On behalf of the City of Florence, I apologize for the inconvenience to our customers over this past weekend. I would like to ensure the public that City Council has allocated necessary resources to improve water quality for our customers. I am working closely with the Utilities Department management team, and we are working diligently to put necessary protocols in place to restore the trust and confidence of those we serve.”
If you have any questions concerning this notice, please call the City of Florence at (843) 665-3236 or SCDES (843) 661-4825.