UPDATE: Reclaimed Water Service Interruption for Beach and Island Estates Areas

7/19/2010 9:24:23 AM

Contact: Public Utilities, (727) 562-4960

UPDATE: Reclaimed Water Service Interruption for Beach and Island Estates Areas

City of Clearwater representatives met Friday, July 16 with the contractor who damaged the subaqueous reclaimed water main on Friday, July 9 resulting in an interruption of reclaimed water service to customers in the Island Estates and Beach areas. The contractor has inspected the damaged area of the line which is inside a casing located in a rock formation below the floor of Clearwater Harbor. Special materials needed for the underwater repair have been ordered and will be installed by the contractor the week of July 19. Depending on the progress of repairs, the City hopes to restore reclaimed water service to affected customers by July 23 if possible. Please keep in mind that this date is our best case scenario; underwater repairs are difficult to effect and conditions encountered may affect this estimated completion date. Additional updates will be provided as warranted.

The City of Clearwater cannot guarantee uninterruptible utility services to our customers. Unfortunately, there are circumstances outside the control of any utility that prevent guaranteeing uninterruptible service. The current interruption to reclaimed water service is a case in point. City Code Sections 32.369 and 32.370 specifically address interruptions to reclaimed water service and the responsibility of the City to that end. We are sensitive to the concerns of affected customers and we are working to ensure repairs are made in an expeditious manner consistent with sound engineering practices.

Reclaimed water customers in areas affected by the reclaimed service outage whose irrigation (sprinkler) systems are connected to the reclaimed system are cautioned not to connect these irrigation systems to potable water. Such cross-connections are forbidden by City Code Section 32.375 and pose a health and safety threat to the potable water system. Hand watering using potable water is an alternative until reclaimed water service is restored.

Additional information will be released as it becomes available.

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