TAMPA, Fla. — Failing wells and septic tanks in parts of the University area of Tampa have exposed hundreds of neighbors to contaminated water over the last few years, causing a number of health issues within the community.
Dr. Sarah Combs, CEO of the University Area Community Development Corporation, says the water problems have been ongoing for years.
“We were talking to residents in the community and they were telling us that they couldn't bathe their children,” Combs said. “We didn't quite understand what that meant. And so, the mothers there took me over to their apartment and turned on the water to show me what they were talking about. And it was brown water coming out.”
According to Combs, at least 1,300 people have been affected by the contaminated water.
"Majority of our community are renters, but the majority of our community is individuals who are black and brown. And so we're talking about 89% of residents who make up a minority population," Combs said.
Hillsborough County is currently working with neighbors in the University area who live between Fowler and Bearss avenues from Interstate 275 to Bruce B. Downs Boulevard. The county now has a free program to get neighbors off septic tanks and onto sewer lines and the City of Tampa water service.
“What's happening is they're on wells and those wells are going bad and they don't have access to clean drinking water,” Combs said. “The same thing with sanitation.
"A number of residents in the community don't have access to actual sewer lines, and so they're on septic and the septics are going bad as well, and they're leaching into the soil and the groundwater and contaminating the area."
Combs says part of the problem is with landlords in the area.
“A lot of them are absentee landlords,” she said. “[Another] layer of complexity is trying to get these landlords to understand… their properties and the conditions in their properties and how this is affecting our residents.”
If you live in the University Area and are struggling with contaminated water, you can contact Applied Sciences consulting engineers if you believe you are eligible at 813-228-0900.
This is a developing story. More information will be provided as it becomes available.