For the second time in two weeks, neighbors in Orlando’s College Park found their front yards torn up and their taps running dry after a supposedly fixed water line failed again Thursday night. The repeat break left several homes without water for hours and pushed muddy water across lawns that had already been dug up once before, leaving homeowners stewing over the mess and the mounting landscaping bills.
The Orlando Utilities Commission sent crews back out to restore service and reopen the hole near Las Flores Way. OUC officials told local reporters that subcontractors installing fiber optic cables for AT&T struck the same water main twice during construction in May, and that the first repair missed a pinhole-size leak that slowly worsened for about two weeks before the line finally gave way, according to ClickOrlando. Homeowner Scott Feranac told News 6 the on-again, off-again repairs have “become a nuisance” and that he is counting on the utility and contractor to make his yard whole again.
Not an isolated problem
College Park is not alone in dealing with busted pipes tied to underground fiber work. In DeLand, a major water main break linked to fiber installation opened up a large hole in the road and triggered local frustration, according to coverage from WDBO.
In Longwood, a separate fiber project left one cul-de-sac looking like a construction-zone swamp, with neighbors complaining about oversight and damage, as detailed in this waterlogged war zone report.
Who pays when pipes get punctured?
Local governments say contractors are expected to “self-locate” buried utilities before they dig. When crews do hit a line, the city or utility typically steps in to handle emergency repairs, then looks to recover the costs from the company that caused the damage or requires that contractor to bring in a third party to foot the bill. Officials have used that approach in earlier fiber-related breaks, while also pressing contractors to repair torn-up lawns and damaged pavement. ClickOrlando reported that DeLand leaders have been weighing those options after their own string of hits.
For now, College Park homeowners say they want clearer heads-up when work is coming, faster service restoration when things go wrong, and full repair of their landscaping. AT&T has apologized to affected residents and said it is working with OUC while crews finish restoration at the site.
