Today, October 13, the City of Winter Park Water & Utilities Department lifted the water conservation request that was put forth on August 21. The request urged residents to conserve water use temporarily to combat a regional shortage of liquid oxygen brought on by a surge of COVID-19 treatments. With COVID-19 hospitalizations on the decline, liquid oxygen supplies are returning to normal.
In addition to being a critical component of the water treatment process, liquid oxygen is also used by hospitals in the treatment of critically ill COVID-19 patients. At the time the City issued the conservation request, Winter Park water treatment facilities were receiving approximately one third of the typical volume of liquid oxygen.
The conservation request, which encouraged locals to avoid activities such as lawn irrigation, car washing, and pressure washing, aimed to reduce water usage by up to 50%.
“Working cooperatively with our customers and suppliers, we were able to keep liquid oxygen levels at our water treatment plants at a sufficient level to avoid boil-water alerts during the surge,” explained City Manager Randy Knight. “We appreciate our customers doing what they could to help us manage the impact of the pandemic at an individual and greater level.”
For additional information, visit the City of Winter Park Water & Wastewater Utilities webpage.
