The City of Winter Springs has requested we curb our water use.
This year has been a challenging year for the City of Winter Springs Water department. It all began in January when complaints led to a news investigation into the water treatment system that uncovered a leak. And not just any leak. It was a leak that spewed raw sewage into the city's clean drinking water, the stuff we use for cooking and bathing.
"The smell is horrendous," some residents said, as the city of Winter Springs, Florida scrambles to find out what's going on with a water crisis that the city is yet to get to the bottom of. At the beginning of this year, a Channel 9 exclusive investigation found that over 10,000 gallons of raw sewage had been dumped or leaked into a private lake in Winter Springs that killed countless fish. The smell was described as something out of your nightmares.
One business owner I spoke to under the condition of anonymity stated that she has to clean her sinks and toilets at her establishments several times throughout the day. It used to be a chore she did weekly.
The Florida State Department of Environmental Protection looked into the crisis and found 24 possible violations were being committed by the city early this month. According to ClickOrlando:
At the time, the then-mayor of Winter Springs blamed a faulty valve inside an old pipe under the old City golf course that leaked thousands of gallons of reclaimed water into the pond. The Mayor said no one currently at the wastewater facilities knew about the pipe.
The city says the leak was caused by a valve malfunction that has since been repaired, but some residents are skeptical, shook by the terrifying experience of having raw sewage coming through their clean water pipes.
The city said that the plant is old and needs to be repaired, as the city now faces fines over the mishandling of the water crisis. This may turn out to be nothing, but it may turn out to be another Flint, Michigan in the making if the city can't get on top of whatever's going on at the water treatment facility.
And now, residents in Winter Springs are receiving notices that they're limited in how they can use their water. Watering days have now been moved to specific days for specific addresses.
This affects both those of us who draw water from the city as well as those of us who have private wells and pumps.
Check your email to see if you received an email from the city explaining the details.
As it says, the city is asking residents to use water only when needed and never between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., for those to whom it applies. Odd-numbered addresses or residents without addresses can water on Wednesday. Even-numbered addresses can water on Sunday. And all non-residential properties, like businesses and restaurants, can water on Friday.