Update on water service on the island; reminder on the sewer system

Editor’s Note: The staff of the Gasparilla Island Water Association has been busy since Hurricane Milton. Not only is the water service off, but the sewer system was destroyed. Residents should not flush toilets in order to avoid overloading the system.

A Monday evening email report from Executive Director Ron Bolton to the GIWA board included a number of promising items in returning service to the island. That event is still weeks away, but the staff has made enormous progress.

• Work will begin this week on replacing the water main that runs from Rotonda to the island. A crew from Margate, Fla. will travel to the island on Wednesday to begin the water main replacement on the causeway. 
• The staff has already tested several thousand feet of water mains and isolation valves.
• They started and tested both the water plant and the wastewater plant. Minor issues were found. Both plants are ready to go.

The staff is now at the office. They also received a Starlink internet system, so the GIWA staff now has phones and internet. 

The road repairs are a challenge. Some washed out areas were filled with sand prior to fixing the utilities, making repairs and evaluations more difficult.

The Water Authority Monday also had visits from Lee County Commissioner Kevin Ruane, from District 1, to check on county help. The Army Corps of Engineers also sent a representative to provide a damage assessment of buried infrastructure. 

The island lost its water main on the Gasparilla Island Bridget Authority Causeway, and across the island, both sewer and water pipes have been exposed and washed out due to flooding from the Gulf of Mexico. In addition, the water main from Rotonda to the GIWA substation washed out, which means that there is no water coming out to the island until the main is rebuilt.