ORLANDO, Fla. — 9 Investigates is looking into a local utility company sending millions of gallons of treated water down the drain. Investigative reporter George Spencer found out that the rainy season has forced OUC (Orlando Utilities Commission) to waste more water.
The treated water gushing from a Lake Como hydrant stopped neighbors in their tracks. Neighbors told WFTV they realized OUC was intentionally spewing as much as 700 gallons a minute.
Customers who've been taught to conserve, such as John Bailey, said they were stunned.
"It is ironic 'cause sometimes I get a statement with a little graph showing how much I've overused," said Bailey. "There's a big spike sometimes, and you know there probably should be a big spike on their report card, too, for all the water they're using."
All utilities flush their water pipes. However, OUC said the rainy season is forcing it to waste water more than other times of year.
"Because of all the rain, people don't have to water their yard," said OUC spokesman Tim Trudell.
That means water is not circulating as needed through the utility's 1,700 miles of water pipes, therefore creating abnormal chlorine levels.
OUC said flushing water out of hydrants is the easiest way to fix that problem. The utility said its crews are monitoring water output the entire time, ready to cap the hydrant as soon as quality reaches the right level.
In 1997, OUC installed an ozone generation system, which increased the time that tap water can sit in pipes. However, that system cannot accommodate wet season backlogs, WFTV learned.
Huge unbuilt subdivisions may force the most flushing. But individual hydrants seem to provoke the most outrage.
"It's a necessary thing to do to maintain that water quality," said Trudell.
In areas where OUC offers reclaimed water service, flushed water can be captured and reused as reclaimed water.
Although in neighborhoods such as Lake Como, the utility said there are not any cost-efficient ways of saving that water.
WFTV
