Utilities Operations Frequently Asked Questions

Properly dispose of the chemicals you use in your home. Every chemical you buy has the potential of polluting the environment if disposed of improperly. Remember, if your home is served by a sewage system, your drain is an entrance to your wastewater disposal system and eventually to a drinking water source. Treat your wastewater system with respect. The Hillsborough County Solid Waste Management Department has a program called “Home Safe Home” that has locations and dates for household chemicals and electronics collections (residential household materials only), for more information, please call the Solid Waste Management Department at 813-272-5680 or visit their website at http://www.hillsboroughcounty.org/solidwaste

No, the best thing that you could do in that situation is wait until the flushing is done, usually 30 minutes is sufficient; the Utilities Operations Division monitors and maintains the quality of the drinking water in the distribution system through a flushing program. Records are maintained on where we flush, the gallons of water used during the flushing and water quality parameters measured during the flushing process. Utilities Maintenance Division (UMD) also flushes hydrants to test flow rates and functionality of the hydrants; and a City-wide flush is also done annually. During flushing, velocities through the pipes are increased and can dislodge sediment (sometimes caused by corrosion, more often harmless minerals which impart color and / or odor), the flushing removes it from the distribution lines, but if a customer runs their water at the same time, some of that material could be drawn into the business or residence. If there has been a disturbance in the lines (heavy equipment from construction, lightning ground strikes), that same material could be dislodged and could be pulled into the customers’ homes. If this occurs, generally flushing your cold water lines for about 5 minutes will clear it up, if it doesn’t clear it in that time, turn off the cold water lines, wait 20 minutes, and repeat flushing the cold water lines for about 5 minutes – Do not use the hot water lines to flush with, this could draw that material into the hot water tank which could increase the rate of corrosion inside the hot water tank (more than the usual).

Manganese, a harmless chemical dissolves in water, it is colorless. When the manganese combines with air as you take water from your faucet, the manganese turns black. Generally, flushing your cold water lines for a few minutes should clear this up (as with almost any of the water quality conditions), but if it persists, please contact the Utilities Operations Division so that it can be investigated further.

Don’t panic! None of the contaminants that could affect your health can be tasted in drinking water; minerals that cause taste, odor and color will not make you sick! Please call the Utilities Operations Division at 813-757-9172 or 813-757-9191, we are staffed 24/7 and will take your call and respond during daylight hours, but if the call is at night, for safety concerns, visits may be done the following morning.

Milky water is usually due to air bubbles in the water or zinc dissolved from galvanized household piping; either condition will give the water a milky appearance. There are several conditions that could cause this: 1) Air bubbles may be present in water after there has been a break in or draining of a main. Most water mains are equipped with air relief valves, which permit air to enter the main when the pressure drops to zero; these valves permit air to escape when the main is refilled. However, if the main is filled too rapidly or if there are no air valves in the line, air is entrapped within the main. When water containing entrapped air is drawn from a faucet, the pressure is decreased and air bubbles are released giving the water a milky appearance; 2) Cold water holds a greater amount of air in solution than does warm water, when cold water saturated with air is warmed, the air is released in the form of small air bubbles, which give the water a milky or carbonated appearance; 3) Complaints of air in water have been traced to the overheating of hot-water tanks. This usually occurs in homes where there are old-style, manually operated heaters, but may occur in newer homes where automatic hot-water tanks fail to operate properly or where the thermostat is set at an excessive temperature – above 140 degrees Fahrenheit. Water releases air bubbles when it is heated. For this reason, hot water almost always contains some air bubbles. This condition is most noticeable during the winter months when the water normally contains the most air in solution. It is especially noticeable in the first water drawn from a hot-water tank after the tank has been idle overnight. This same condition could occur from warming of cold water lines (like pipes attached to the sides of buildings and exposed to the sun) to deliver milky water; 4) Milkiness of water due to zinc is an entirely different condition from air in water, although it is difficult to tell one condition from the other by simply looking at the water. Zinc can be dissolved from galvanized piping and re-precipitated in the water forming a bluish-white basic zinc carbonate. Since galvanized pipe is not used in most distribution systems, milkiness due to zinc is usually caused by the galvanized pipe within the customer’s premises; 5) A cross connection can occur at a kitchen sink between the water line and the dishwasher. Water pressure is used to dispense dishwashing detergent; and if the piping is incorrectly installed, a frothy or air-bubble condition can occur in the cold water; 6) Consumers may complain of noise in water pipes and conclude that it is caused by air in the line. Noise is not usually due to air in the line but rather to some other cause, such as a bad faucet washer.

The drinking water pipes in the street or those leading to your home, or those in your home may be rusting, creating rusty-brown water. Also, your hot water tank might be rusting. Additionally, iron, a harmless chemical, may be dissolved in your drinking water. When iron is dissolved in water, it is colorless, but when this iron combines with air as you take water from your faucet, the iron turns reddish brown.

This division is responsible for the operation of the City’s Drinking Water System and Water Reclamation Facility. The Water Plants are permitted for 14.25 million gallons per day; the Water Reclamation Facility is permitted for 10 million gallons per day. Both Water and Wastewater facilities are in compliance with all standards as set by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP).

If the water leak / break is before Plant City’s meter, then Plant City
If the water leak / break is after Plant City’s meter, then the customer.

Due to the size and complexity of the wastewater facility, the State mandates that the facility be staffed 24 hours a day, 7 days a week by State licensed operators. The other divisions of the City do not work this schedule; so the Operations Control Center fields calls from the Public after hours for Storm-water, Traffic, Streets Division; Sanitation Division; Utilities Maintenance Division; Parks and Recreation Division; and so on. The Operator on duty cannot respond to these calls, but has contact information for personnel “On-call” for these other divisions, and will try to assist the caller as they can! Utilities Operations Division can also be contacted at 813-757-9192 or 813-757-9191.