HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, Fla. — People in South Hillsborough County are now able to learn more about a plan to fix water issues in their communities, including boil water notices, rules on when you can water your lawn and water pressure problems.
Hillsborough County Commissioners are meeting on Wednesday, Feb. 24 from 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. for a virtual public workshop to learn more about the issues these neighborhoods are facing in terms of water and a series of solutions set to come online by 2028.
LEARN MORE | Watch the livestream of the virtual public workshop
Residents in places like Riverview have been telling us how these growing new-build communities popping up across South Hillsborough County can come with a downside.
“They’re putting them up so fast that we don’t have the infrastructure for them, we don’t have the schools available,” said Jennifer Delgado, who lives in Riverview.
One major issue is water. As new developments go up in South Hillsborough County, it’s creating a strain on water usage, especially in peak times like the mornings and evenings.
As a result, residents may see low water pressure and county leaders say that can sometimes lead to unsafe water conditions.
“The biggest danger is that if the pressure falls, there's backwash into the system and you have a situation where everyone has to have a boil water notice,” said Commissioner Harry Cohen.
County leaders said it’s a safety issue too because if there is not enough water and water pressure, there could be issues for firefighters trying to fight fires.
As a stop-gap earlier this year, commissioners passed water restrictions in South Hillsborough County, limiting families to irrigating their lawns once a week on a specific day.
WATER RESTRICTIONS | When can I water if I live in South Hillsborough County?
But now, we’ve learned new solutions are funded and in place within the next few years.
View the presentation of water solutions in South Hillsborough County
First, a Tampa Bay Water Booster Station in Brandon will be operational in 2024. Then a new pump station will be up and running in 2026. Finally, a total infrastructure overhaul is coming in 2028. That’s when both a new water supply pipeline and water treatment plant come online.
Water Fixes Coming to South Hillsborough County
"There is some pain and sacrifice to getting to the finish line, but we will get there,” Cohen said. “And we will secure the water supply for a generation when we do it.”
