FORT MEADE, Fla. — Fort Meade residents are now in their second week under a boil-water notice, and one father says the prolonged water problems have created another headache at home.
For Michael Barron, the frustration isn't just about buying bottled water.
Watch report from Rebecca Petit
“At first it was just a nuisance not being able to drink water, have ice, and having to buy bottled water,” Barron said. “Then yesterday, now we have a water leak in our house.”
Barron says a valve in his bathroom began leaking after the city turned the water on and off. He said the valve on his toilet and the line leading to it cracked, sending water into his home.
“The valve on the toilet cracked, the line going to the toilet cracked,” Barron said. “So now the damage is in the baseboard, the vanity and through the wall into the playroom.”
Barron believes changes in water pressure caused the pipe to burst and says the resulting water damage reached his children's playroom.
He said he contacted the city for help but was told the city would assist after he worked through his insurance.
Contractors sent by his insurance company came to the home and began addressing the damage, Barron said.
“The contractors the insurance company sent out this morning pulled up the baseboard, pulled up the carpet, we’ve got fans, dehumidifiers,” he said.
The city issued the current boil-water notice on Sept. 8 after a contractor damaged a water main while installing fiber-optic lines.
According to a press release shared on the City of Fort Meade's website, the damage caused the city's water tower to drain, creating pressure problems in the system.
Crews then discovered a failed 14-inch valve connected to the water tower.
The city said the valve is uncommon and had to be sourced from a supplier, delaying the repair.
This is at least the fifth boil-water notice Fort Meade has issued this year, affecting all or part of the city.
Barron said one of his biggest frustrations has been not knowing what was happening with the water system.
“For this incident nobody really knew what was going on except through word of mouth through town,” he said.
Some residents say they have not received direct phone calls or text alerts from the city about the water issues.
Tampa Bay 28 reached out to the City of Fort Meade for comment but did not receive a response.
In its press release, the city said that once the valve is repaired, it must complete water testing before lifting the boil-water notice.
For Barron and his family, he says the continued lack of potable tap water is affecting everyday life.
“It throws a wrench in everything,” Barron said. “I mean simple things, you’re eating dinner and you can't just go get a glass of water. We’re buying it every day.”
Residents are being advised to continue following the boil-water notice until the city announces that it has been lifted.
Share Your Story with Rebecca
Rebecca Petit is dedicated to telling your stories from every corner of Polk County. She knows how growth has been a major discussion point for the area, and the impact it’s had on some of our most vulnerable populations. You can connect with Rebecca by using the form below.
.
Saudi flight from Tampa, secret FBI probe reveal possible Saudi support network for 9/11 hijackers
Twenty years after the Sept. 11 attacks, more than 80,000 records compiled by the Tampa FBI Field Office remain classified. Newly declassified documents are pointing to a possible secret Saudi support network for the hijackers. Soon after the attacks, the FBI uncovered that 15 of the 19 hijackers were from Saudi Arabia.
