Demand From Residents Watering Lawns Shuts Down Florida Water Plant

[hatrack]

GROVELAND - Huge demands from residents watering their lawns early Thursday morning nearly left the city tapped out as part of its utility system shut down from the stress.

A 750,000-gallon plant off State Road 50 and County Road 565A stopped working about 6:30 a.m. when officials said demand increased to three times the amount of water that facility pumps from city wells to replenish its tanks. The result: Water pressure dropped significantly to 1,100 customers and in some areas only a trickle seeped through faucets, showers and hoses.

Workers resolved the problem in about an hour Thursday. But now about a fifth of Groveland's 5,000 water customers are under a boil-water notice for at least two days. It's meant to safeguard against any potential health problems caused by the sudden crash in water service. Groveland officials say they've seen water use climb in recent weeks with the onset of hotter, drier weather. And the early morning timing of Thursday's incident indicates how much water people are putting on their grass when the automatic irrigation systems kick on.

EDIT

In Groveland, Walker said water problems on the city's east side started about 5 a.m. Thursday -- a time when lawn-irrigation systems typically turn on. The city has a water plant off C.R. 565A. It uses a 750,000-gallon tank to store water, which is drawn out by electric pumps and sent to customers. Walker said the tank is filled at a rate of 500 gallons per minute, but water withdrawals from customers reached three times that amount. When water in the tank dropped too low, the plant alerted city workers, and the pumps shut down. State standards require water pressure to stay above 20 pounds per square inch to avoid bacteria growth or other contamination in the water lines. Groveland's water pressure in that area dwindled to as little as 12 pounds per square inch.

EDIT

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/features/health/orl-lgroveland0908may09,0,6425118.story

[Dead_Parrot]

1. .

[madfloridian]

2. And we keep on developing and planting new grass to be watered

cause our state is owned by developers.

[Delphinus]

3. And the phrase from a song keeps going through my head...

"when will they ever learn, when will they ever learn."