GROVELAND. Fla – Groveland residents are under a boil water advisory for the second time this month following another failure at the city’s water treatment facility.
The city issued the latest advisory Friday after a software error caused pumps to shut down for about 30 minutes at the Sunshine Water Treatment Plant. City workers manually restarted the pumps, and officials said they will continue operating them manually until the software can be replaced.
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The city said the advisory will remain in effect until at least Sunday.
Residents gathered at Cherry Lake Park on Friday to pick up free bottled water provided by the city.
“The people are mad. I mean, it’s water. It’s a necessity. I need it to be clean. I need it to be there,” one resident said. “I pay you every month, I need my service on point every month.”
The latest advisory follows several other water-related problems in Groveland this year.
Just last week, the city issued a boil water notice after a pump failure at the same water treatment plant. https://www.clickorlando.com/news/local/2026/09/17/groveland-water-outage-affects-around-5000-prompts-boil-water-notice/
In June, the city instructed residents to run their faucets for 15 minutes before using the water after residents reported that their water appeared dark and rusty.
Then in July, the water treatment plant lost power after a lightning strike.
The repeated problems are occurring as Groveland moves forward with plans to replace aging water infrastructure.
In August, the Groveland City Council approved the Clean Water Facility Plan, which includes construction of a new wastewater treatment facility. The project is expected to cost more than $100 million and is not expected to be completed until 2031.
Some residents said they are frustrated that the planned improvements remain years away.
“It’s a long ways off yet, so I think there’s got to be potentially some changes in leadership in the community,” one resident said.
Residents are also scheduled to see a 10% increase in their water bills beginning Oct. 1.000
Following Friday’s advisory, Groveland Mayor Keith Keogh said he is calling on the City Council to pause the planned rate increase.
For residents, the latest advisory means another disruption to their daily routines.
“It’s with everything. I mean, we give dogs the bottled water. We have to do that. You have to think about brushing your teeth with it,” one resident said.
The city said it planned to collect a water sample Friday evening and another Saturday morning.
Officials said the boil water advisory will not be lifted before Sunday.
