The City of Plant City's Utilities department took Well No. 8, located on Alexander Street near Plant City High School, offline for maintenance Friday, Sept. 9.
This well may be offline for as many as four weeks while the required repairs are made. The idling of this well will not cause any disruptions in water flow or pressures for customers and residents.
Areas that are most likely to be affected by the outage is the section bordered by North Mendonsa Street, East Park Road, South Sparkman Road and West Alexander Street.
While there will not be disruptions in water flow or pressure, some water customers may notice temporary periods of discolored water. This discoloration occurs when water flows are reversed inside the affected lines. The changing direction of the water flow disturbs minerals that have settled onto the bottom of the lines. The discolored water is still safe. Strong odors and odd tastes can accompany the discoloration, but these symptoms are not indicators of additional problems.
Customers who experience discolored water should first attempt to flush their internal water lines, according to the City of Plant City. This can be accomplished by opening the cold water taps on sinks and bathtubs for 15 minutes. After flushing the lines for 15 minutes, customers should close all taps and allow their water lines to settle for one hour. After that hour has passed, the discolored water should have cleared up.
If the water does not clear up, residents are advised to call utility operations at (813) 757-9191 to report the problem. Utilities technicians will then take additional measures to resolve the water discoloration issue for various neighborhoods.
The City of Plant City's Utilities staff is working to complete the needed repairs to bring Well #8 back online. The system is designed to compensate for the loss of various wells to ensure that water service is not impaired.