From the Water Plant to Your Tap: Inside OUC’s Water Distribution Team

Beneath our feet is a network of nearly 2,000 miles of water mains and pipes, an extensive and complicated system overseen by a team of skilled technicians that ensures safe, great-tasting water flows out every time you turn the tap.

For Andre Craft, OUC’s Water Distribution Manager, the mission is simple but critical: “We oversee the direct delivery of water from our production facilities to customers. We’re responsible for maintaining water mains, service lines, and critical infrastructure.”

Building and Maintaining a Massive System

From construction crews and inspectors to heavy equipment operators, the Water Distribution team ensures the system stays strong while expanding to support growth. Their work ranges from installing new water mains, service lines, valves and hydrants to repairing leaks, flushing lines; and preventing potential failures before they occur.

Routine Maintenance is Key to Reliability

Often, the day starts with a call – low water pressure, a mysterious puddle, or water surfacing where it shouldn’t. A Water Operations “troubleman,” investigates, and if it’s more than a quick fix, the Water Distribution crew steps in.

Much of the department’s impact comes from proactive work: replacing aging mains, tackling small leaks before they grow or modernizing the system. One major initiative underway: replacing 210 miles of water main as part of the Belle Isle Two-Inch Main Replacement Project.

The team also maintains more than 11,000 fire hydrants – an essential part of community safety.

Supporting Growth Through New Construction

As Orlando expands, so too does the water system.

Developers install new mains, fire hydrants and service lines guided by plans from OUC Water Engineering. Once construction is complete, Water Distribution inspectors ensure every detail meets OUC standards before the infrastructure becomes part of the system.

The Work You Don’t See – But Always Rely On

For most customers, water service is simple. Turn the tap or push a button and it flows.

But behind that every day convenience is a continuous effort from teams working across the system —often out of sight. And it’s the work Craft and his team take pride in.

“It feels good,” he said. “People may not see it, but we do a lot to make sure the water keeps flowing.”

Their dedication embodies what it means to be The Reliable One — quietly delivering safe, dependable service customers count on every day.

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Exploring OUC’s Water Teams

Water Distribution works closely with other teams at OUC to serve customers across its 200-square-mile water service territory. As part of this six-part series, you’ll learn about Water Production, which pulls water from the Floridan Aquifer; Water Operations, which provides emergency response to leaks and other issues, as well as proactive maintenance; Water Engineering, which designs, plans and manages new infrastructure and systems; Water Metering, which collects data for customer billing and system monitoring; and the Water Quality Lab, which tests water at multiple points in the system.