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Lengthy repair awaits reclaimed water pipe By DAVID K. ROGERS © St. Petersburg Times, published June 24, 1998 T. PETERSBURG -- The city's reclaimed water system is reviving, except for some northern neighborhoods where a punctured main has knocked the system out for weeks, possibly months. The 9,300 customers who use treated wastewater to irrigate their yards and golf courses watched as the system lost pressure late last week and remained out of commission through the weekend. Now, thanks largely to voluntary efforts to conserve and to a fourth sewage plant that is back in operation, pressure has returned to the system. But about 1,000 customers in the neighborhoods along Gandy Boulevard in north St. Petersburg could be without reclaimed water for some time. It turns out that a 36-inch system main that city officials thought would be replaced in less than a day will prove much more difficult, and more costly,to repair. "This is a pretty serious situation," public utilities assistant director Patricia Anderson said Tuesday. "It could be bad. It could be several months before we have these areas back in service. We just don't know at this point." Late last week, a construction contractor punctured the pipe near the intersection of Gandy Boulevard and 16th Street N, Anderson said. City workers first thought they could repair the pipe and return the system to service. On closer inspection, though, officials discovered that a section of large concrete pipe had been badly damaged. Depending on availability of replacement pipe, the system could be down for a week or for months, Anderson said. The system would be down longest if a manufacturer has to custom build some of the pipe, she said. Depending on the availability of reclaimed water elsewhere in the system, it appears that the neighborhoods in Barcley Estates, Glen Lakes and portions of the Shore Acres area could be most affected. "We're just telling everybody to hang in there with us," Anderson said. "Hopefully, we'll get some rain so their lawns won't die. Be patient. We're doing the best we can." Business | Citrus | Commentary | Entertainment Hernando | Floridian | Obituaries | Pasco | Sports State | Tampa Bay | World & Nation © Copyright 1998 St. Petersburg Times. All rights reserved.