Hurricane Ian aftermath: Orlando says water use should be limited following sewer damage
Orlando residents continue to recover after devastating storm slammed the Florida city
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Residents of Orlando, Florida, are being told to limit their water usage after the city sustained damage to its sanitary sewer system following Hurricane Ian.
"The city sustained multiple damages to their sewer lift stations. Please use water sparingly until repairs are made!" the Orlando Utilities Commission tweeted Monday.
The city said that residents should do so until further notice.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"We are continuing the water usage advisory until further notice as Public Works staff makes emergency repairs to the sanitary sewer system," officials said.
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City of Orlando crews rushed Sunday afternoon, Oct. 2, 2022, to vacuum up a steady gush of sewage from a major pump station. The waste water was flowing in Lake Estelle and also potentially into Lake Rowena. ((Kevin Spear/Orlando Sentinel/Tribune News Service via Getty Images))
Orlando said it was issuing an advisory and that all residents and businesses citywide should limit flushing toilets, doing laundry, washing dishes, taking showers and baths, pressure washing and using irrigation systems.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"Residents should also avoid bodies of water, including contact with standing water or use of any watercraft in the lakes and streets and please be mindful to not drive through construction zones," officials said.
Flooding following Hurricane Ian has impacted recovery and relief efforts.
ORLANDO, FLORIDA, UNITED STATES - OCTOBER 1: Water reflections of a home and a car are seen in a neighborhood that was flooded by rain from Hurricane Ian on October 1, 2022, in Orlando, Florida. (Photo by Paul Hennessy/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
Treatment plants, the city said, are still operational and producing reusable water.
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The advisory is not a boil water notice.
"However, additional water usage like this will continue to put more pressure on systems already over capacity which can lead to sewage overflows," it warned.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Water gushed Sunday morning, Oct. 2, 2022, from a sewage manhole cover along Winter Park's Lakemont Avenue just west of Winter Park High School, in Florida. (Kevin Spear/Orlando Sentinel/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)
"The water system was not impacted at all; it's the wastewater system," Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer explained Monday, according to FOX 35. "Right now, we have at our three different wastewater treatment plants, we are operating at 150% of the rated capacity."
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The outlet also reported that residents who own a well covered with floodwater from Hurricane Ian are advised not to use it until there's a chance to test the water for contaminants.