DOVER, Fla. \u2014\u00a0Some residents in Dover have been without running water for days as falling groundwater levels have dried up private wells across the area.<\/p>\n
Most of the affected homes rely on well systems, and officials say the water table dropped sharply following a recent cold snap combined with an unusually dry rainy season. Hillsborough County officials also point to increased water use by nearby farms during the freeze, as growers worked to protect crops from cold damage.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhenever there is a cold or a freeze event like this, a lot of times the agriculture industry needs to do bigger draws to preserve their crops,\u201d said Anthony Halcyon, the Hillsborough County Senior Environmental Scientist. \u201cUnfortunately, wells like this are the first to feel this kind of effect.\u201d<\/p>\n
For residents like Gerardo Silva, the impact has been immediate and frustrating. Silva has been without water since Sunday.<\/p>\n
\u201cTurn the faucet on \u2014 nothing. I mean nothing,\u201d Silva said.<\/p>\n
In times of need, neighbors are stepping in to help. Silva\u2019s friend, Terry Wascaser, ran a hose from a nearby home in an effort to prime Silva\u2019s water pump and restore pressure.<\/p>\n
Wascaser says the problem is widespread throughout the Dover area.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe worst affected area was this Dover area after the irrigation for the strawberries,\u201d he said. \u201cThey suffered a lot more than other areas.\u201d<\/p>\n
Without running water, daily routines have become a challenge for many families.<\/p>\n
\u201cI had to go somewhere else to shower,\u201d Silva said. \u201cIt\u2019s like, how do we wash our hands after using the restroom? How do we flush our toilets? You have to figure out how to exist without running water \u2014 that\u2019s hard.\u201d<\/p>\n
Hillsborough County has responded by setting up an emergency water station for residents without access to water.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur plan is to man the facility (Thursday) and (Friday). Then we\u2019re going to do a touchpoint (Friday) afternoon to see if we need to continue it further,\u201d Hillsborough County Division Director Plan Operations London Womack said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
After days of frustration, Silva finally received some encouraging news when water began flowing again.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou got a little bit of water, bubba,\u201d a friend said as the pressure in Silva\u2019s pump increased.<\/p>\n
While the immediate crisis has eased for some, many residents are still hoping for rain \u2014 and a longer-term recovery of the aquifer. According to the Southwest Florida Water Management District<\/a>, aquifer levels rebounded 27 feet on Wednesday from Tuesday\u2019s low.<\/p>\n