Last Updated: 3:51 p.m.
A contractor for the high-speed internet company Metronet whose boring machine punctured Flagler Beach’s main water line Wednesday morning, cutting off water to the city, did so again this morning, 100 yards west of yesterday’s mistake. The puncture again sent potable water gushing into a ditch, forcing the city to shut down service to enable repairs. But the break was not as severe as Wednesday’s.
The mainland, west side of the city was again without water, while the barrier island was under a conserve-water caution, as supplies from the water tower at the south end of town and a 1 million-gallon tank near downtown were limited.
In mid-afternoon, the city’s Jim Ramer said in an internal memo that the water pressure on the mainland did not fall significantly, with water shut off only for the zone around Flagler Square.
Flagler Beach City Commissioner Rick Belhumeur was using a water hose at a property on Leslie Street today at midmorning when the water cut off. He drove the short distance to State Road 100, and saw the water bubbling out of the ground again near a drain by the entrance sign to Flagler Square, the shopping center. On Tuesday, the Metronet contractor had struck the water main in the area between Sherwin Williams, the paint store and the CVS pharmacy, on the south side of State Road 100.
It did so, twice, even though the area all along that side of State Road 100 is a small forest of dark blue flags indicating the location of the water line. Either the flags were planted in the wrong place, or the crew misread them.
The city issued an alert in late morning, reporting that it was receiving numerous calls about the water pressure dropping across the city. Just before noon, the city confirmed the repeat break: “A water main break occurred near the Flagler Square shopping area on the west side of the intracoastal, affecting the entire City. This incident is a repeat occurrence from yesterday,” the city said. “Water has been shut off on the west side/mainland. [That proved to be an overstatement, according to the Ramer memo.] The barrier island side of the City still has access to a water supply. Residents and businesses are encouraged to be extremely conservative in their water consumption. The public works crews are actively working on restoring services. Updates will be provided through the website and Facebook.”
Jennifer Crews, the city’s public works director, was at the scene of the break with a crew, having hurriedly and efficiently targeted the problem area and gotten an excavator to drill a rectangular cavity that would allow workers to fix the piping. The work was taking place right at the entrance of the shopping center, requiring that entrance to be closed to traffic. The Metronet contractors were taking a break, their vehicles lining the road, including the boring machine that had caused both issues.
On Wednesday, water was restored within a few hours. The west side of the Intracoastal was under a boil-water advisory after the water was restored. The same is expected today.
More images will post shortly.
