Miami-Dade Water and Sewer Department offers tips in advance of Potential Tropical Storm Eta

As South Florida residents prepare in advance of potential Tropical Storm Eta, staff of the Miami-Dade Water and Sewer Department (WASD) also is preparing. The department has fuel and water treatment supply reserves to operate on auxiliary power at the three plants to ensure uninterrupted service to its nearly 2.3 million customers for two weeks without supplemental deliveries.

In advance of the region experiencing tropical storm force winds, the treatment plants will be transferred to generator power, so plant operations aren’t impacted by electrical fluctuations and outages. In 2019 during Hurricane Dorian, water service was never impacted, and a Precautionary Boil Water Order was not issued for WASD’s service area.

Make sure to have one gallon of water per person per day for a minimum of three days and a half gallon per day, per pet for three days. Fill containers with Miami-Dade’s drinking water. If the water initially comes out cloudy, let the faucet run until it clears. The water is safe to drink. WASD tests its drinking water more than 150,000 times a year.

If you have additional questions about water quality, please call 786-552-4738 if you live north of Southwest Eighth Street and 786-552-4181 if you live south of Southwest Eighth Street.

While WASD is prepared to service Miami-Dade County before, during and after the storm, the department is asking for residents to minimize water usage after the storm so as not to overly impact the water system should pressure be lower than normal. Also, please refrain from using water to hose off storm debris after the storm. Instead, bag up the debris rather than hosing it into storm drains to minimize street flooding resulting from clogged storm drains.

It is the priority of the Miami-Dade Water and Sewer Department to provide safe, reliable service to its customers. For additional information about Department services and programs, visit the WASD website.