Potable water service shut down on barrier islands south of Johns Pass for emergency repairs

Pinellas County Utilities will restrict potable water service on the barrier islands from John’s Pass south to Fort De Soto beginning at 8 p.m. on Friday, September 27, due to storm-related damages and flooding at our Gulf Beach Water Booster Station in St. Pete Beach. This will pose a health and safety risk to all residents and businesses in the area for the next several days so we are asking any residents who have not yet evacuated to do so now.

Residents and businesses in St. Pete Beach, Treasure Island and Tierra Verde will not have potable water service while repairs are being made. This shutoff will also affect water service to fire lines, which means fire rescue crews will not have access to water from fire hydrants in the event of a fire. The county will have two water tankers staged for firefighting.

Water pressure to this area will drop tonight and any remaining water coming out of the pipe afterwards must be boiled before use. A Boil Water Notice is forthcoming.

We have six crews assessing the storm damage to the water system along the beaches, including the damaged booster station. We have additional crews coming in from Orlando to assist. At this time, we know hundreds of pipes across this area were damaged and are buried in sand due to storm surge. Our crews will need to dig through the sand in front of each property to find the pipe and secure the leak.

Our goal is to work as quickly as possible to restore potable water service but this could take up to a week before full service water pressure is restored.

Many homes and businesses in the area have broken private water lines and will not have their water restored when the system is back online.

Anyone with questions can call our Customer Service line at (727) 464-4000 or email custsrv@pinellas.gov.