About 5,000 residents in Groveland lost water early Wednesday after a computer control malfunction shut down all pumps at the Sunshine Water Treatment Plant off State Road 19, city officials said.

The pumps were restored later that morning, but the outage triggered a precautionary boil water notice that remained in effect Wednesday. Officials said the notice could be lifted as early as Friday morning.

The problem started around 1 a.m. at Groveland’s Sunshine Water Plant, when an aging computer-control system froze while showing the storage tank was full. Because the system did not register the falling water level, it failed to signal the wells to refill the tank as residents continued using water.

By about 5:07 a.m., the tank level dropped low enough to trigger a safety shutdown, stopping the plant and reducing water pressure throughout the community. Crews had to restart the well pumps manually, one at a time, to avoid triggering the safety system again.

“The computer program that runs the tanks stopped, hit a full tank and it shut down,” Plant Manager Ben Von Harz said. “The computer program froze on the tank level being full. Demand brought the tank down to a point that it should have kicked on our wells. However, the program kept saying that the tank was full.”

The outage left many customers with little to no water for several hours, including residents near Wilson Lake Parkway.

“It’s getting to be completely ridiculous,” one resident said.

For families, the disruption meant more than inconvenience. Charlotte McIntosh, who lives in Groveland, said bottled water is not enough when basic household needs are affected.

“I have a family of six and a dog, so a case of water isn’t really that helpful,” McIntosh said. “If I can’t do my washing or my dishwashing. I have babies that need formula, and so we have to go buy a bunch, and it’s just frustrating.”

The outage also affected nearby businesses. A RaceTrac off Highway 27 posted signs saying it could not cook food or serve beverages such as coffee because of the boil water notice.

For some residents, the latest outage added to ongoing frustration with Groveland’s water system.

“We always have water bottles in the house because if we don’t, you know, the water goes out,” Groveland resident Megan Hughes said. “We’re pretty much, you know, up the creek without a paddle.”

Wednesday’s outage was not the first recent issue tied to the plant.

In June, a lightning strike knocked out power to the plant and affected about 3,500 homes. In August, a broken 16-inch reclaimed water main forced a temporary shutdown that affected residents in northern Groveland.

The latest outage comes just weeks before residents are expected to see a 10% water rate increase. City officials said that money will help fund a $265 million project, including construction of a new water treatment plant, which they said is intended to address many of the problems residents have experienced.

Groveland is investing about $90 million to replace aging water and wastewater infrastructure:

• A new wastewater treatment plant is under construction and expected to be operational by 2027.
• A new potable-water treatment plant, including three new wells, is expected by 2028.
• The city received a $25 million state grant for the water plant.
• The projects aim to improve water pressure, capacity and reliability as the area grows.
• Residents will see a planned 10% rate increase; officials say developers’ increased water impact fees—now about $13,900—will cover much of the remaining cost.

The boil water notice is expected to remain in place until testing is completed, with officials saying it could be lifted as early as Friday morning.