Life has changed dramatically across the world, the nation and Tampa Bay since the outbreak of COVID-19, but one thing that hasn’t changed is the safety of your drinking water.
Tap water from Tampa Bay Water’s regional system remains safe for all uses – drinking, cooking, handwashing and bathing. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), “the virus that causes COVID-19 has not been detected in drinking water. Conventional water treatment methods that use filtration and disinfection, such as those in most municipal drinking water systems, should remove or inactivate the virus that causes COVID-19.”
Tampa Bay Water’s supply is a blend of treated groundwater, river water and desalinated seawater. After treatment, all of these potable water supplies meet stringent Safe Drinking Water Standards as set by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP). The regulations and treatment requirements from the EPA prevent viruses from contaminating drinking water. Even more, our member utilities provide secondary disinfection to make sure your tap water is safe to drink.
Tampa Bay Water is also closely monitoring and incorporating recommendations from the CDC and state and local agencies to keep residents and employees safe, including canceling all public tours of our water treatment plants, canceling all non-essential travel for employees, encouraging virtual meetings, and building contingency plans to ensure our most essential personnel are available to maintain the utility’s 24/7 operations.
Learn More
