Residents of St. Pete Beach, Treasure Island and Tierra Verde are still under a boil water notice as of Wednesday morning after Hurricane Helene caused significant damage to their water system.
More than 100 utility workers from Pinellas County and some other communities in Florida are on the barrier islands making repairs to restore drinking water service as quickly as possible.
One crew was in a Treasure Island neighborhood on Monday afternoon stopping a leak in a water line that services a home there. Water sprayed out of the whole they’d dug to work on the leak until the team could cap it shut.
Well into a 12-hour shift, Gary Dorsey said he’d lost track of how many similar jobs they’d done that day.
“I've been doing this for 40 years and have never seen it this bad, so prayers to people who’ve been affected,” said Dorsey, a heavy equipment specialist with the county.
In the first few days after Helene hit the area with several feet of storm surge and high winds, the county identified more than 400 leaks, according to public information manager David Connor. That number that has likely grown.
Leaks deplete the water pressure, which poses safety hazards
Some damaged pipes were also buried under several feet of sand that Helene pushed onto roads and lawns.
Pump stations were also affected, with 120 restored so far and another 25 still offline, Barbra Hernández, the county's communications director, announced during a Wednesday morning press conference.
Another major challenge is that the storm flooded the Gulf Beach Water Booster Station in St. Pete Beach, which remains offline. The county is now relying on another station further north to supply water pressure to the southern beach communities.
But with all the damaged pipes, it hasn’t been enough. These leaks strain the entire system, as if a faucet is constantly running, explained Nory Hancock, deputy director with Pinellas County Utilities.
“When there's not enough pressure and water is moving through the pipes constantly, then you are creating what we call aging water, and then bacteria can grow on it and water can be not safe to drink,” she said.
This is why it’s important residents in the communities under boil water notice avoid drinking the water even if they see it flowing from their tap. Hancock encourages using bottled water if possible, but if they must use tap water to drink, cook or brush their teeth they should first boil it for at least one minute.
Residents and business owners may have to cover some repairs
Stopping the leaks is critical to boost water pressure system-wide for fire hydrants and so residents can have clean drinking water again. Once the pressure returns to acceptable levels, Hancock says water quality teams will assess when it’s safe to lift the boil water notice.
But if lines that lead to homes are leaking, residents may have to wait longer before they can start using their taps.
The county can only cap leaks that connect to private property, Hancock said. From that connection to the house, the property owner is responsible for repairs.
The county has been notifying property owners about the leaks as they've identified them and is sharing resources to help, Hancock said.
“We have a list of licensed contractors and plumbers," she said. "We want to make sure you are picking somebody that is legit." People should also check with their homeowners insurance policy to see if it helps cover the cost, she said.
Once the line is repaired, Hancock said people should contact the county and they’ll get the water turned back on for their property.
The boil water notice could be lifted in the coming days, Hancock said, but repairs to the Gulf Beach Water Booster Station could take longer. So even when residents can start drinking their tap water again, Hancock says they should expect water pressure to be lower than usual for a while.
Residents with questions can call the Utilities Customer Service at (727) 464-4000.
