Hillsborough County, Fla. (Feb. 6, 2026) - Hillsborough County is making available clean drinking and cooking water to areas of Dover that are having issues with low or no water supply in wells after recent cold weather. Impacted residents are not Hillsborough County Water customers; they are residents on well water.
Hillsborough County Water Resources will distribute boxed drinking water and bring its 300-gallon Hydration Station to Dover Sports Complex, 2801 Dover Park Dr., Dover, FL 33527, on Feb. 7 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. or until supplies run out.
Residents should bring their own containers with lids to fill.
Hillsborough County is in a modified stage 2 severe drought, as declared by the Southwest Florida Water Management District (SWFWMD). This is a result of moderate rainfall last summer and only light rain events in the fall and winter. It is not uncommon for wells to run low in times of drought and during or after a cold snap like Hillsborough is experiencing.
Additionally, SWFWMD noted that during a freeze or near-freezing temperatures, water is pumped to protect crops and fish farms, causing aquifer levels to temporarily drop. Once aquifer levels fall below a well's pump level, the pump can burn out if it is not shut off manually or automatically by a low-pressure shut-off device. An electrical switch located on or near the well can turn off most pumps. For more information on frost and freeze protection for wells, visit Southwest Florida Water Management District.
Who: Hillsborough County Water Resources
What: Drinking and cooking water available in Dover area
Where: Dover District Park at Dover Sports Complex, 2801 Dover Park Dr., Dover, FL 33527
When: 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday Feb. 7