Water-main break reduces flow in Florida Keys and leads to boil-water notice
A water-main break in the Florida Keys on Tuesday caused major traffic backups on U.S. 1, water-pressure drops to homes and businesses and officials to issue a boil-water notice throughout the island chain.
The transmission pipe burst on 65th Street in the Middle Keys city of Marathon, according to the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office, causing significant northbound traffic tie-ups all the way south to the Seven Mile Bridge.
As crews rushed to fix the break, the Florida Keys Aqueduct Authority, the utility that pipes water down from the mainland, issued a boil-water notice to homes and businesses from Lower Matecumbe Key at mile marker 77.5 in Islamorada down to Boca Chica Key, one mile from Key West.
The FKAA said in a social-media post around 3 p.m. that a boil-water notice has been issued to all homes and businesses in the area that are experiencing significant water-pressure drops.
This story will be updated as more information becomes available.
This story was originally published May 19, 2026 at 4:13 PM with the headline "Water-main break reduces flow in Florida Keys and leads to boil-water notice."
