Precautionary Boil Water Notice (PBWN)

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The PBWN referenced below has been rescinded.

April 1, 2026

Destin Water Users has issued a PBWN for 104 units at 405 Harbor Blvd (Motel 6) on Wednesday April 1st at 2:00pm due to a line break on a privately managed water system.  This was issued as a precaution to the affected customers after the main was shut off for a contracted plumber to make the repairs. The main will be flushed and sampled once repairs are completed. No critical use facilities were affected during this work. A copy of the main break report and door tag are attached. Pending sample results this notice should be lifted on Friday April 3rd.

The PBWN referenced below has been rescinded.

March 16, 2026

Destin Water Users has issued a PBWN for 3 critical use facilities, Dunkin Donuts, Pizza Hut, and Aspen Dental, also 20 units at Holiday Beach Resort. Holiday Beach Resort will be changing their backflow out and while the main is shut down, DWU will install a 6” isolation valve to prevent the critical use facilities from being affected in the future. The shutdown will take place at 10:00am on Monday March 16,2026 and except to be off for 6 hours. Pending sample results this PBWN should be rescinded on Wednesday 18th.

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Precautionary Boil Water Notice (PBWN)

You may have heard about or noticed a significant increase in the number of precautionary boil water notices (PBWN) issued by Destin Water Users, Inc. and other local water utilities in the recent past. Does this mean that the quality and safety or our water has declined? Does this mean that DWU’s water mains are breaking more so than in the past? Absolutely not! Rather, changes in regulatory rules are now requiring that water utilities in Florida issue precautionary boil water notices whenever water service to an area has been turned off, if even for a short while. Why is the issuance of a PBWN required? When breaks or changes occur in water lines, the normal pressure in the line may be reduced or lost and the possibility exists for contaminants to enter that line. The odds of this happening are extremely remote, but to be extra cautious precautionary boil water notices are placed in effect while routine bacteriological sampling is conducted. Usually, two separate sets of samples are taken, each needing 24 hours to be considered complete. When both sets of samples come back “clean”, the precautionary boil water notice is lifted (or “rescinded”). These advisories only affect water that is intended for consumption or cooking.

For more information on PBWN click HERE

If you provide water to visitors or employees, use commercially produced bottled water for drinking or beverage preparation (coffee) during the PBWN. You should also take steps such as posting notices at, or disabling water fountains and ice machines. Foodservice operations have several additional requirements and should contact the Florida Department of Business & Professional Regulation at (850)487-1395 for specific instructions.

For more information on food industry requirements click HERE

Hurricanes 

DWU has emergency plans in place for hurricane response and will do everything possible to make necessary repairs in an efficient and timely manner. Should you experience either a loss of water service or a noticeable loss in water pressure during or after a hurricane, we recommend you take additional steps to disinfect any water intended for consumption or cooking until the water system is restored.

For more information on emergency disinfection of drinking water click HERE

Hydrant Flushing and Water Quality

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Hydrant-flushing is very important to the maintenance of the domestic water distribution system. Destin Water Users and the Destin Fire Control District routinely flush hydrants throughout our service area as required to:

  • Improve water quality in the distribution system
  • Maintain appropriate disinfection residual
  • Resolve taste and odor issues
  • Cleanout water mains following services and repairs
  • Locate closed valves and weak flow areas in the distribution system
  • Verify the proper operation of fire hydrants and valves
  • Test hydrant flow rate & perform routine maintenance
  • Confirm adequate flows are readily available for fire fighting

The time involved in flushing can vary from a few minutes up to several hours depending on the circumstances (i.e. size & length of main). You may encounter the following water conditions during or after hydrant flushing operations:

  • A temporary drop in the water pressure to your home or business.
  • Rusty, brown, or cloudy water.

Why does my water sometimes look rusty or cloudy after hydrant flushing?

Whenever a fire hydrant is opened, the water flows out at a very high rate (up to 1,300 gallons per minute) resulting in increased velocity within the main. This creates a scouring action in the pipe and dislodges fine sediment particles that have accumulated in the pipe. The fine sediment mixes with the water, turning the water a cloudy or rusty brown color. This mixture is normally discharged out of the hydrant, but may be drawn into your home if you are running your water at the time of the flushing.

While there is no health hazard associated with discolored water, it can cause nuisance problems such as laundry discoloration. Whenever possible, avoid running the tap water in your home whenever you notice flushing operations in your immediate area- this will greatly reduce the potential for the discolored water to enter your home.

Should you notice discolored water in your home, here are some Helpful Hints to help you resolve the problem:

  • First, open cold water faucets and let the water flow until it is clear- normally, bathtubs on the lowest floor of your home are the best place to move large quantities of water.
  • If you notice discoloration in your hot water, it may be necessary to flush your water heater reservoir- make certain the cold water is running clear first!
  • Once both hot and cold water are clear, the water is ready for normal use.
  • Remember to inspect your faucet screens for trapped particles, and clean as necessary.
  • Wash a load or two of dark-colored clothes first.

For additional information about hydrant flushing and water quality, please call DWU’s administrative office at 850-837-6146.

DWU Statement on Fluoride in Drinking Water

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Florida Surgeon General Dr. Joseph A. Ladapo recently announced guidance recommending against community water fluoridation due to the neuropsychiatric risk associated with fluoride exposure.  Several public water systems in Florida currently add small amounts of Fluoride to the community water system to help prevent tooth decay. 

Destin Water Users does not add Fluoride to the drinking water in our service area.  However, some Fluoride is naturally occurring in the Upper Floridan Aquifer which is the source of our water.  The amount of Fluoride present is well below the Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL) of 4.0 ppm listed by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).  The testing conducted in 2023 and listed on the 2023 Consumer Confidence Report (CCR) resulted in a range of 0.03-1.1 ppm.  If you would like more information, the 2023 CCR is on the Destin Water Users website and is linked here.

Automated Phone System

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Destin Water Users, Inc. will be transitioning to an automated IVR (Interactive Voice Response) phone system, as of March 1st. Customers will be able to choose from several prompts to include, but not limited to.

  • Quickly report emergency line breaks,
  • Accounts Payable,
  • Human Resources,
  • Questions regarding their bill,
  • Hear their balance due, and/or pay their bill,
  • Set up or cancel services.

Our goal is to increase customer satisfaction, particularly during times of high call volume. An effective interactive voice response system can help avoid hold time by helping customers find answers and perform simple tasks themselves.

Blood Drive “OneBlood!”

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The Big Red Bus is coming to DWU for our next blood drive on Wednesday, May 7th from 9:00AM-2:00PM.

To reserve your appointment click here.

OneBlood incentives include $20 eGift cards, T-shirts and a Wellness checkup for all donors.

If you’re unsure of your eligibility to donate click here for more information.

**You can donate whole blood once every 8 weeks (56 days) for a total of 6 donations per year.

Reclaimed Water Irrigation Schedule

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Weekly watering times are indicated below: (Effective March 1, 2016)

NORTH ZONE EAST ZONE SOUTH ZONE
SUNDAY
MONDAY MIDNIGHT – 10:00AM, 2:00 PM – MIDNIGHT
TUESDAY MIDNIGHT – 10:00AM, 2:00 PM – MIDNIGHT MIDNIGHT – 10:00AM, 2:00 PM – MIDNIGHT
WEDNESDAY MIDNIGHT – 10:00AM, 2:00 PM – MIDNIGHT
THURSDAY MIDNIGHT – 10:00AM, 2:00 PM – MIDNIGHT MIDNIGHT – 10:00AM, 2:00 PM – MIDNIGHT
FRIDAY MIDNIGHT – 10:00AM, 2:00 PM – MIDNIGHT
SATURDAY MIDNIGHT – 10:00AM, 2:00 PM – MIDNIGHT MIDNIGHT – 10:00AM, 2:00 PM – MIDNIGHT

Suggested Daily Watering Schedule

Based on the last digit of your address, please adjust your irrigation to one of these times on your watering days:

MIDNIGHT – 5:00 AM ODD ADDRESS
5:00AM – 10:00AM EVEN ADDRESS
2:00PM – 7:00PM ODD ADDRESS
7:00PM – MIDNIGHT EVEN ADDRESS

To confirm your reclaimed water service zone please see the map located HERE. These watering times are effective year round. However, DWU may leave mains open if excess water is available (winter and summer). For more information regarding our reclaimed water program click HERE

If you have any questions or concerns please contact our customer service team at (850) 837-6146.

**PLEASE NOTE THAT THERE SHOULD BE NO WATERING FROM 10AM-2PM DAILY. Water used during this time is often wasted more than it is beneficial due to evaporation in the heat of the day.

DWU Statement on PFOA/PFOS

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Military Times reported on April 26th that “the water at or around 126 military installations contains potentially harmful levels of perfluorinated compounds…”, “…and more than 90 sites that reported either on-base or off-base drinking water or groundwater contamination, in which the water source tested above the Environmental Protection Agency’s acceptable levels of perfluorooctane sulfonate or perfluorooctanoic acid, also known as PFOS and PFOA.” These compounds are used in concentrated forms on military airfields in the foaming agents used to put our aircraft fires.

This report was based on sample results from 2017 in which the Department of Defense tested various sites for the unregulated compounds of concern. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) utilizes what is known as Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule (UCMR) to collect data for contaminants that are suspected to be present in drinking water and do not have health-based standards set under the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA). Testing for these contaminants was required of drinking water systems throughout the nation during the UCMR 3 round of testing performed in 2013 and again in 2014.

Destin Water Users did participate in the UCMR 3 water testing which included samples taken from all drinking water wells. DWU feels it is important to inform our customers that all results were absent of the PFOS and PFOA compounds, and there is no reason for our customers to be alarmed by the recent news report.

In Destin and most of the surrounding area, our sole drinking water source is groundwater from the Upper Floridan Aquifer- a deep underground limestone aquifer protected from surface water influences by a confining layer. Because of the nature of our aquifer, there is no direct recharge from the shallow ground water in our area and therefore contamination from perflourinated compounds is unlikely.

To read more on the news release, please go to https://www.militarytimes.com/news/your-military/2018/04/26/dod-126-bases-report-water-contaminants-harmful-to-infant-development-tied-to-cancers/

For more information on the PFOA and PFOS compounds, please refer to the EPA website at  https://www.epa.gov/ground-water-and-drinking-water/drinking-water-health-advisories-pfoa-and-pfos