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1. How do I know my water is safe to drink?

There are very strict state and federal guidelines for producing safe drinking water. Our water must meet or exceed all these requirements. The primary legislation governing drinking water quality is the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA). To ensure the highest quality, the SDWA requires each public water utility to implement a regular program of sample collection and laboratory analysis. Contaminants that can cause acute health effects are monitored daily. Other contaminants are monitored weekly and still others, monthly testing and monitoring results are reported regularly to The Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) and The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) which work closely together to see that all requirements are followed. Strict adherence to monitoring and testing are the best guarantees for safe drinking water.

The City of Niceville publishes a Consumer Confidence Report (CCR) annually to inform the public of our water quality. This is mailed to each customer. 

2. What type of treatment is done to my drinking water?

Chlorine is added for disinfection and odor control, a minimum chlorine residual of 0.2 parts per million is maintained throughout the water system to insure water quality. Fluoride is also added and maintained to an optimum level of 0.8 parts per million as recommended by the U.S Department of Health and Human Services.

3. What are the characteristics of my water?

These are the most common requested water analysis:

• pH: 7.8
• Sodium: 8 milligrams per liter or parts per million
• Total hardness: 128 milligrams per liter or 8 grains per gallon

4. What if I have a sewer problem?

If it is only one fixture in your home that is backed up and you are not familiar with plumbing you may want to call a plumber. If you have a problem with your entire system, please contact the Water and Sewer Department. We can evaluate the problem, at no cost to you, by inspecting the sewer clean-out / access and determine if the problem should be corrected by the City or by your plumber.

5. How do I turn the water off to my house?

You should have a main valve located outside your home for this purpose. You should familiarize yourself with this valve now and test it's proper operation instead of being faced with this problem in an emergency. The City of Niceville will promptly respond to any and every call for assistance but during emergency situations every minute counts, a broken line within your home can flood several rooms in a matter of minutes.

6. How do I determine if I have a water leak?

Make sure all fixtures inside and outside your home are turned off. Then you can go out to your water meter open the lid and check to see if any dial is moving. You may need to observe this for several minutes. When no water is being used nothing should be moving. Even a small leak over a 24 hour period will amount to several gallons and a larger water and sewer bill.