Pine Ridge faces water woes (Citrus County)
By Laura Lee Putzback
Low water pressure in the Pine Ridge area has county officials scrambling to come up with short-term fixes until Florida Governmental Utility Authority can find a more permanent solution.
Citrus County Utilities will connect with FGUA water lines this weekend to help alleviate problems with low pressure in the FGUA system.
The low water pressure has also created a need for an emergency permit request for a new connection and for the Citrus County Fire Services division to increase its coverage in Pine Ridge.
A county construction crew will be working this weekend at County Road 486 and Pine Ridge Boulevard to connect FGUA to the Citrus County Utility System, according to Bruce Bates, Citrus County Utilities interim director.
Travelers on C.R. 486 will see little disruption as the work crew will bore under the road to install a 10-inch water line and its 20-inch protective casing. FGUA is responsible for reimbursing the county for any project costs incurred and for the water it uses.
Initially Richard Stover, Citrus County fire chief, was unaware of the current water problems in Pine Ridge. Once alerted, he took steps to get more information from FGUA.
“I feel for the safety of the citizens. It is necessary to move a 1,800 gallon tanker into Citrus County Fire Station 22 located in Pine Ridge,” Stover said. “It will stay there until the situation is resolved.”
Dozens of calls from FGUA customers this week alerted the water company and the Citrus County Office of Utility Regulation of problems.
Among the callers was Dennis Marshall, a retired mechanical engineer who moved to Pine Ridge in August 2005. He’s had intermittent problems with water pressure so he installed a gauge to monitor his home.
Marshall was disappointed with the FGUA’s emergency phone line. When he called to report 18 PSI (pounds per square inch) of water pressure and concerns about how it impacted the fire hydrant located on the corner of his property a recording announced, “FGUA emergency on call is not available right now. Please leave a detailed message after the tone.”
The readings at Marshall’s home have ranged from 10 PSI to 35 PSI since Monday. According to Bob Knight, Citrus County Office of Utility Regulation director, the DEP standard is not less than 20 PSI.
Bernadine Flood-Nichols, FGUA community service representative, indicates several reasons customers are experiencing problems. She cites the past four weeks of drought, a broken chlorine line on March 26, a main line break on Elkcam Boulevard the next day, an electrical problem with one of the pumps and pumping capacity as contributing factors to the problems residents are now experiencing.
FGUA has fixed all but the capacity issue. The county connection will offer short-term relief while the company works to install a new well in Pine Ridge during the next three months.
John Dunty, GSG (Government Services Group) project manager for FGUA is attempting to fast-track approval of the project’s construction contract, which was originally to be considered at the FGUA’s April 28 board meeting.
Until then, FGUA is taking steps to ensure sufficient water capacity. The company is targeting customers who are large water consumers.
“The FGUA does not have a clear definition of usage for customer accounts,” Flood-Nichols said. She analyzed customer water usage for February and March and customer account trends the past three years to identify high-end water users.
On Friday, the FGUA delivered conservation information to 255 of its 2,345 Pine Ridge customers and 30 of its 3,570 Citrus Springs patrons. Some on the list were using as much as 100,000 to 200,000 gallons per day.
“To take the stress off the system, we have issued an alert,” Flood-Nichols said. FGUA is asking all Citrus Springs and Pine Ridge customers to adhere to restricted irrigation times.
The other two utilities serving the Central Ridge area report no water pressure issues at this time, nor have they issued any special alerts.
Laura Lee Putzback is the editor of the Central Ridge Visitor.
Low water pressure in the Pine Ridge area has county officials scrambling to come up with short-term fixes until Florida Governmental Utility Authority can find a more permanent solution.
Citrus County Utilities will connect with FGUA water lines this weekend to help alleviate problems with low pressure in the FGUA system.
The low water pressure has also created a need for an emergency permit request for a new connection and for the Citrus County Fire Services division to increase its coverage in Pine Ridge.
A county construction crew will be working this weekend at County Road 486 and Pine Ridge Boulevard to connect FGUA to the Citrus County Utility System, according to Bruce Bates, Citrus County Utilities interim director.
Travelers on C.R. 486 will see little disruption as the work crew will bore under the road to install a 10-inch water line and its 20-inch protective casing. FGUA is responsible for reimbursing the county for any project costs incurred and for the water it uses.
Initially Richard Stover, Citrus County fire chief, was unaware of the current water problems in Pine Ridge. Once alerted, he took steps to get more information from FGUA.
“I feel for the safety of the citizens. It is necessary to move a 1,800 gallon tanker into Citrus County Fire Station 22 located in Pine Ridge,” Stover said. “It will stay there until the situation is resolved.”
Dozens of calls from FGUA customers this week alerted the water company and the Citrus County Office of Utility Regulation of problems.
Among the callers was Dennis Marshall, a retired mechanical engineer who moved to Pine Ridge in August 2005. He’s had intermittent problems with water pressure so he installed a gauge to monitor his home.
Marshall was disappointed with the FGUA’s emergency phone line. When he called to report 18 PSI (pounds per square inch) of water pressure and concerns about how it impacted the fire hydrant located on the corner of his property a recording announced, “FGUA emergency on call is not available right now. Please leave a detailed message after the tone.”
The readings at Marshall’s home have ranged from 10 PSI to 35 PSI since Monday. According to Bob Knight, Citrus County Office of Utility Regulation director, the DEP standard is not less than 20 PSI.
Bernadine Flood-Nichols, FGUA community service representative, indicates several reasons customers are experiencing problems. She cites the past four weeks of drought, a broken chlorine line on March 26, a main line break on Elkcam Boulevard the next day, an electrical problem with one of the pumps and pumping capacity as contributing factors to the problems residents are now experiencing.
FGUA has fixed all but the capacity issue. The county connection will offer short-term relief while the company works to install a new well in Pine Ridge during the next three months.
John Dunty, GSG (Government Services Group) project manager for FGUA is attempting to fast-track approval of the project’s construction contract, which was originally to be considered at the FGUA’s April 28 board meeting.
Until then, FGUA is taking steps to ensure sufficient water capacity. The company is targeting customers who are large water consumers.
“The FGUA does not have a clear definition of usage for customer accounts,” Flood-Nichols said. She analyzed customer water usage for February and March and customer account trends the past three years to identify high-end water users.
On Friday, the FGUA delivered conservation information to 255 of its 2,345 Pine Ridge customers and 30 of its 3,570 Citrus Springs patrons. Some on the list were using as much as 100,000 to 200,000 gallons per day.
“To take the stress off the system, we have issued an alert,” Flood-Nichols said. FGUA is asking all Citrus Springs and Pine Ridge customers to adhere to restricted irrigation times.
The other two utilities serving the Central Ridge area report no water pressure issues at this time, nor have they issued any special alerts.
Laura Lee Putzback is the editor of the Central Ridge Visitor.
posted by Editor Facts & Myths @ 9:39 PM
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