TAMPA, Fla. — A $5 million grant from the American Rescue Plan will improve access to clean water in Tampa's University area. 

For years, the Community Development Corporation has been working to improve the water quality in the area especially for those living in the Holly Court Apartments. 

"This apartment is known to us because of the many landlords that it's had for the last several years," said Executive Director Sarah Combs. "So it's been really hard. It's been really hard to get some of the challenges like the water problem that we identified in 2017 rectified."

In 2017, 2018 and 2019 environmentalist from University of South Florida and the Florida Department of Health tested the well water and reported high levels of chlorine and iron. 

"Stomach aches, UTIs, ringworms, those are some of the stories that we've heard that residents have had over the years," said Combs. 

The grant obtained by Hillsborough County will finally help to address the issue. 

Residents in the University area will be connected to Tampa's water and sewer systems. 

In December 2021, residents once again reported water issues. 

The corporation stepped in to provide temporary housing for those who needed a place until the issue is fixed. 

"Our apartments are full, so there is not alot of space," Combs added. 

The CDC has been working with Holly Court Apartments to ensure no one is displaced or priced out.

Palm Communities, LLC management agreed to let tenants return at the same rental rates once the project is complete.