Tampa Water Department crews and contractors are busy working to fix citywide damage triggered by the late December cold snap.
Between December 26, 2022, and December 30, 2022, the Tampa Water Department conducted nearly 100 pipe repairs and responded to nearly 300 calls for service. In some cases, the department saw more than five times the normal workload.
While crews managed to quickly repair water main leaks across the city, including the leak at N. Jefferson Street in Downtown Tampa, it will take weeks for crews to finish the pending restoration work. Currently, there are more than 140 restoration projects that need to be completed that will require multi-person work crews with heavy equipment.
We invite members of the media to speak with Water Department leadership about the current restoration efforts and how the department is working to improve our water service infrastructure.
Significant shifts in cold weather can put stress on pipes, leading to water main breaks. Older, more brittle pipes are more likely to break during cold snaps. More than 30 percent of pipes in the City of Tampa are at least 60 years old.
That’s why the Tampa Water Department is focused on replacing our aging infrastructure using funding from “Progressive Infrastructure Planning to Ensure Sustainability” or PIPES.
Currently, the department is on track to replace an average of 20 miles of water pipeline each year.