Water source lined up for yards

Swiftmud's board approved funds to extend the reclaimed water system into the Harbor Oaks subdivision by the end of 2003.

By KATHERINE GAZELLA, Times Staff Writer
© St. Petersburg Times
published April 27, 2002

TARPON SPRINGS -- Harbor Oaks and possibly the adjacent neighborhood of Oak Leaf Village could get reclaimed water for irrigation within two years, thanks to a decision this week by the Southwest Florida Water Management District's governing board.

With Swiftmud's approval of up to $98,000 for the project, construction will begin by Sept. 20 and should end by Dec. 31, 2003, Swiftmud spokesman Michael Molligan said.

The city already has approved about $125,000 in the current budget year for its portion of the project, said Paul Smith, the city's public services administrator.

"It's great," Smith said. "This is something we were looking forward to."

"I've been waiting for it," said Jim Ciotuszynski, an information technology manager who lives in Harbor Oaks.

Both neighborhoods lie north of Klosterman Road and east of Alt. U.S. 19.

The city made the initial request for funding in December 2000, Smith said. The idea was to extend the line to the Harbor Oaks subdivision, near Helen Ellis Memorial Hospital, which has a reclaimed water distribution system in place and just needed access to the reclaimed line, he said.

The reclaimed system "was definitely a big plus when I moved here," said Nick Nettles, who works for his family company, which does sinkhole investigations. He is glad the neighborhood will be hooked up to the line but wishes it wouldn't take so long.

Residents in Oak Leaf Village off Klosterman Road also might be able to hook up to the line in the future, he said. Between the two communities, a total of 618 new customers could receive reclaimed water from the city.

The reclaimed water line now runs from the water treatment plant to the golf course on Alt. U.S. 19, with several spokes coming off the main line. There are currently 641 connections to the line.

To hook up to the reclaimed line, residents will have to pay the city a $300 connection fee and a $40 deposit for a meter, Smith said. The water costs 95 cents per thousand gallons, as opposed to $3.16 to $3.26 per thousand gallons of drinking water.

With all potential customers in the two neighborhoods hooked up to the reclaimed line, this project could result in the demand for potable water being lowered by 184,000 gallons a day, or 67-million gallons a year, according to Swiftmud estimates.

Finding new water sources is always a good idea, but especially in light of the drought the state has experienced in recent years, Molligan said.

"The drought is just a reminder that this is Florida," he said. Reclaimed water "helps us be more efficient and less wasteful."

-- Katherine Gazella can be reached at (727) 445-4182 or gazella@sptimes.com.

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