Last Updated: 2:39 p.m.
2:39 p.m. update: Repairs are complete, water service has been restored. Flagler Beach’s mainland water customers are under a boil-water notice, however.
A contractor laying down broadband cables for Metronet, the Evansville, Ind.-based high-speed internet company, struck Flagler Beach’s main water line on State Road 100 late this morning, cutting off supply to the city.
“Water has been shut off on the west side of the City,” a statement issued by the city early this afternoon said, meaning that Flagler Beach residents and businesses on the mainland, west of the Intracoastal, had no water. “The beachside of the city has access to water but we urge all residents and businesses on the beachside to conserve water as we are depleting the water from limited reserves.”
The beach side has a million-gallon water tank on South Flagler Avenue, between the police station and the fire department, and the city’s water tower at the south end of town, both of which have reserves.
City crews responded to the emergency and were working on repairing the break, City Commissioner Rick Belhumeur said from the scene early this afternoon. “They know what’s down in the ground at least,” he said. “It affects the entire city. This is the main water pipe that goes to the island, so some parts of the city may still have some residual water in the storage tanks.” As to how long that reserve will last, “it depends on how much people limit their water use.”
City Manager Dale Martin said a water main break is similar to when power is cut off: he could confirm that crews were working on repairs, but couldn’t predict when the work would be completed. “We’re telling everybody to follow he city’s Facebook site for updates,” Martin said.
A brief video released by the Flagler Beach Police Department shows water churning out of a crater on the south side of State Road 100 (Old Moody Boulevard), between the Sherwin Williams store and CVS Pharmacy. The water had filled the ditch east and west of the break, but was not affecting either the businesses or the highway. The city is asking residents and businesses to conserve water until the repairs are completed.
How did it happen? Utility crews digging in rights of way are expected to map out pipes and cables ahead of time to ensure against shearing through them. “Did they call in for locates? We can chase that,” Martin said, but meanwhile “let’s focus on getting the repairs done.” Based on the information the city manager got, the Metroinet contractor did secure the “locates” ahead of time. Despite that, they struck the water line. Analyzing that “will definitely be part of the after-action report,” Martin said.
The city has been communicating with its utility customers by text, email and phone calls. Metronet wired Palm Coast in the past two years. Its contractors occasionally struck utility lines there as they worked.
Wifi straight thru sewer pipe ewwww says
I am not shocked. We’ve had a lot of new broadband infrastructure going on around town – not just Metro. Now, I know pipes get hit accidentally, but this is happening so frequently it’s called blatant utter ‘I never bothered to look’ negligence. I REALLY hope tax payers are NOT flipping the bills for all these “accidental” repair needs. All the sink holes these leaks are causing, leading to major road way repairs, it’s not okay.
Keep Flagler Beautiful says
Not shocked AT ALL to read that it was Metronet. They came into our neighborhood without notice to the residents and started digging. We were away and returned home to find the curbside section of our front yard had been dug up, including one of the irrigation sprinklers, which was spewing water like a fountain. I hate paying Spectrum’s high fees, but at least they “own” it if they damage anything. Never received a penny or an “I’m sorry” from Metronet
Land of no turn signals says says
Metronet has done major destruction all across Florida and they should be heavily fined for every mishap.
Screw Metronet! says
Of Course Metronet won’t stand behind this its our “Independent Contractors” to blame. They dug up my whole yard with a gang of immigrants I come home. nobody speaks English nobody knows what’s going on. They took their afternoon siesta and left 8 or nine Model Mexican beer cans in my shrubbery, I had to fish them all out. a few days later? They made some drunken mistake and had to dig up the entire ditch in front of my house all over again, and all the sod which was in pretty sad shape then died and I had a huge brown stripe across the front of my yard. I complained several times insisting they resod. Finally somebody comes out again while at work and left a note on the door that they “re-seeded the area”. (They did not!). and I was to frequently water their damage. I got them back though. I switched to Metronet just to collect their $200 gift card. It never came so I was Really pissed now finally I complain again where is my into Gift card? They took $200 off my bill like credited my account. Not the same as a Prepaid Visa card, but whatever. a few months later? The card shows up. So I spent it, Got $400 out of them and switched to Spectrum, screw them. I sleep like a baby at night.
The Truth says
They are building a new house across from mine and the workers cut into my cable line and Spectrum came out and fixed it and took a photo of the builder’s name and was giving it to their office to possible send them a bill for the damages.
I am sure there are plenty of more horror stories of this going on around town right now it seems ever empty lot has a new house being built on it.
Seems like the City of PC doesn’t want any empty lots in town, if its empty you can be sure the City is going to approve something being thrown up on it.
Another reason to cause more traffic jams which they don’t seem to address at all. They are destroying the city over being greedy for taxpaying dollars.
Mothersworry says
Doesn’t Flagler Beach have any regulations that have to be adhered to before any digging takes place? A permit should be issued to the company that is actually doing the digging. Then flag it.
Of course that is only common sense, what the hell was I thinking?
Tony says
If it wasn’t for the immigrants we would have not cable tv or internet. Most maga supporters don’t want to work because they are on government assistance.
Kim Carney says
Call before you dig! No flags…no markings…they utility locate service is FREE!
PC Resident says
The fact that these companies can show up on your street, unannounced, basically trespass onto your property and make the mess that they do is far beyond unacceptable and inappropriate. There is little to no oversight. If there was, Palm Coast/Flagler County would make it illegal for them to do so without 48hrs notice with a description of the disturbance and what is to be accomplished. I would be willing to bet that if they were made to abide by at least some rules, less mistakes would be made.
Keep Flagler Beautiful says
Tony, I didn’t like the comment about immigrants either, but why make the equally appalling comment that “Most MAGA supporters don’t want to work because they’re on government assistance.” Honestly, you embarrass yourself by saying something so ridiculous.
Detective Bill Hanagan says
We are looking into reports of immigrants napping during work hours, willfully destroying valuable vegetation, and leaving ‘ethnic’ debris in private shrubbery. Sorry to hear that you had to fish these items from the branches. If you happened to scrape your arm while reaching into the bushes that raises the charge to aggravated littering.
It is inspiring the way the residents of palm coast are able to face hardships such as these and still have time to watch 10 hrs of television each day and then drive through the Publix parking lot without any awareness of other drivers or pedestrians.
FlaPharmTech says
Immigrants are NOT the issue, MetroNet IS the issue. Hello, wake up ppl.
Tadpole says
I’m 63 years old when I was 17 years old, I ran cable from telephone pole to telephone pole and cable was supposed to be less than a dollar a day. What the hell happened?
JimboXYZ says
Several months ago fiberoptic cable installers ruptured a water supply line when Metronet showed up and installed Fiberoptic cable just the same. This was also an Alfin “better quality of life” myth for growth that day too. They dug up yards up and down the street and the grass never grew back for the sod replacements. That’s about the same time that my water meter started to malfunction, that was replaced +/- a couple of months or so back. That was just before the new City of Palm Coast monthly fee & rate hikes were approved & took effect. Inconvenience of service disruption & inflation, that’s just one of a list of issues & what we have Alfin to thank for as a 3.5 year, 1 term mayor as a legacy. I guess he had good intentions to make the community better, just that nothing Alfin pushed upon City of Palm Coast ever turned out that way, the same way all this growth was supposed to pay for itself. I’m still trying to see anything growth that has paid for itself yet or any real benefit to a majority of the population.
Lucas Paris says
Down here in Seminole we had a wifi company breaking stuff every other time they ran cable a year ago. This was largely because the crews wouldn’t set their torpedoes to requested depths and would smash into our water mains.
Some crews were more attentive than others, and got the job done properly. Sorry this happened to ya guys.
Bartholomew says
I guess we were lucky. Metronet announced when they were coming, did the work and threw down sod in areas that had to be replaced. Our lot was easy; they trenched, and our grass was put back in place and did fine. It was fine at my mother’s house, too.
Metronet is so much cheaper than Spectrum, and the only thing we needed was internet, so we switched and had no problems. We moved, and now some company (I think Spectrum) is laying down lines here (Deland). I am not paying too much concern because our HOA handles the internet (and our irrigation water). We don’t pay for it, but we pay for it through the HOA.
Jay Tomm says
It happens people!. FPL took out Spectrum on the other side of 100 last week. ATT takes out things. Spectrum cuts fiber as well. As a business owner I have seen this from all companies. Locates are done & this still happens.
Tpuche says
Had q similar metronome experience to Tony and others. Sloppy workmanship, and sprinkler pipe damage including current cable.
Once they left, I used an axe to ‘fix’ their installation.