If you prefer paying your water bill in person or want to handle some water service related business in person or have been and want to visit the County’s Water Resource Services office in Ruskin, you will now have to travel a bit farther. The downturn in the economy has claimed another Hillsborough County government office, which has been operating in full swing and has been caring for the needs of local residents since December of 2005. Hillsborough County Water Resource Services’ SouthShore customer service center, located inside the county’s SouthShore Regional Service Center at 410 30th St. S.E. in Ruskin has closed its doors as of early July, directing customers to the Brandon office located in the Brandon Crossings Shopping Center at S.R. 60 and Falkenburg Rd., and is open weekdays from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. and offer a full range of services.
According to Hillsborough County Water Resource Services spokes person Michelle Van Dyke, the closing of the SouthShore office is one of several steps Water Resource Services has taken in recent months to trim costs. Van Dyke explained that although the number of customers has remained about the same as last year, residents are buying less water, either to cut costs or to conserve because of water restrictions related to the ongoing drought, but added that home foreclosures and bill defaults are also impacting the department. “The SouthShore office had approximately 1,500 visits a month from customers caring for services such as billing, payment and accounts services and was staffed with four employees, who now are assigned to other duties within the department,” Van Dyke said. Incidentally, Van Dyke also mentioned that while some water restrictions have been lifted, the board has extended the basic restrictions until Friday, July 31.
For more information, contact Water Resource Services Customer Service at 272-6680.
