Orlando asks residents to limit water consumption due to COVID-19 impacts

The City of Orlando is asking residents to reduce water consumption due to COVID-19.

Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer and the Orlando Utilities Commission (OUC) held a news conference asking residents to stop watering their lawns and washing their cars for at least a week. 

Mayor Dyer said Friday that water usage needed to be cut back because of the recent surge of COVID-19 hospitalizations. 

OUC treats the city's water with liquid oxygen and supplies that ordinarily go toward water treatment have been diverted to hospitals for patients suffering from the virus. 

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"It’s another result what happens when residents don’t get vaccinated and become critically ill and are in need of dire medical support and treatment," Mayor Dyer said.

The city-owned utility typically goes through 10 trucks of liquid oxygen a week but its supplier recently said that could be cut back to five to seven trucks a week to accommodate hospitals.

Officials said they believe if water consumption doesn't change, water treatment could hit a critical point in a week. If that happens, it could mean a possible boil water notice could be put in place.

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According to OUC, lawn and landscaping irrigation accounts for 40% of water use in Central Florida, and suspending those practices is the most critical way to reduce water consumption.

HOW YOU CAN HELP

  • Limit watering your lawn or landscaping
  • Limit using a pressure washer
  • Limit washing your vehicle
  • Wash only full loads in the dishwasher and clothes washer
  • Take short showers
  • Turn off the water while brushing your teeth or shaving
  • When washing dishes by hand, fill up the sink with water and turn off the faucet
  • Recycle water rather than pour it down the drain (For instance, used water from a fish tank or your dog’s water bowl is good for watering plants)
  • Repair leaking faucets and toilets
  • Install water-saver flush valves in toilets
  • Install low-flow showerheads
  • Use the garbage disposal sparingly
  • Water Conservation Tips

The city is already taking action to reduce water at places like parks and baseball fields.

To learn more, visit OUC's website.

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