To our Customers,
We want to provide an update on the progress of water and sewer restoration.
Following Hurricane Helene, our priority was getting water to our customers. The District had over 30 people working in the field to help find and fix leaking service lines and to turn off meters so that water would not further damage customer property. We are still fixing leaks which are being caused by debris clearing and demolition. As you clear debris, please be mindful of the District’s equipment, both water and sewer, so we do not have to pull staff from reinstalling grinder pumps to fix water or sewer lines.
Water was provided after the storm under a Boil Water Notice. After most of the water damage was repaired, we had to undergo DEP-required water testing. This testing was completed on Thursday, October 17, 2024, and allowed us to lift the Boil Water Notice. Water is now available for any use and if you need assistance with turning on your meter, please let us know. Also, if you see any damaged water meters or lines, we would appreciate a text or call at 850-843-7621 so we can get these repaired.
Our wastewater/sewer recovery is more involved and will take much longer as 99% of our grinder pump equipment was damaged or destroyed. We are also working on our system lines and due to the massive amount of debris we cannot access them all at this time.
The District keeps a small stock of grinder pumps and equipment for everyday repairs but we are now waiting for equipment and additional manpower to help return our customers to sewer service faster. Because we are getting some of our equipment from the State of Florida through Florida Emergency Management, we must work through their systems using preferred vendors. Our suppliers are working overtime to get us what we need. We have started installations with the equipment we have on hand and will continue to work on those.
You must notify the Office by via text or email when your power is hot so that we can get you on the installation list. You may text 850-295-2950 or 850-843-7621 and our email address is tcwsd@fairpoint.net. If you have any questions, please call us.
The District established a triage system for disaster recovery before Hurricane Idalia in 2016. This gives us an orderly method for system restoration. This triage system uses the following priority list to restore service to our customers once their electrical service is in place and hot:
- Full-time residents in homes
- Businesses
- Full-time residents in RVs
- Part-time residents in homes
- Part-time residents in RVs
- Recreational lots
The Field Staff, with the assistance of Regional Utilities, is in the process of pulling the remainder of the damaged grinder pumps this week. Once the District is notified that your power is hot, we will schedule our electrician to replace the disconnect box and e-One control box. We will then schedule the sewage hauler who will come by and pump out the grinder tank and wash it out. As we receive additional equipment and manpower, we will then install your grinder pump equipment. Do not put any wastewater into the tank after it has been pumped. If we find any wastewater in the tank your installation will be postponed.
We are offering water-only accounts for use on properties that will not have a habitable house, RV, shed or structure other than a fish cleaning station. You may call to convert your account to water only and we will be happy to send you an agreement to sign and return. This will allow you to have water at your property for cleanup purposes and not have the additional sewage charges.
We prepared our first billing post-storm which will be mailed today. Everyone was billed for minimum usage during this period. The District will implement Time Without Service Credits on a future billing once our water and sewer services have been established and we can determine the outage time
Our customers are a very important asset to this District and we appreciate the grace and patience of everyone as we all go through this recovery process together.
Thank you,
Taylor Coastal Water & Sewer District Board and Staff
THE DISTRICT OFFICE IS LOCATED AT 18820 BEACH ROAD, PERRY, FL 32348
OUR OFFICE HOURS ARE 8:30 A.M. TO 4:00 A.M. MONDAY – FRIDAY
DURING THE HURRICANE RESTORATION OUR NEW PHONE NUMBER IS 850-295-2950. OUR AFTER HOURS EMERGENCY NUMBER IS STILL 850-843-7621. YOU MAY CALL OR TEXT US AT ANY TIME. OUR EMAIL ADDRESS IS STILL TCWSD@FAIRPOINT.NET
THE DISTRICT BOARD MEETING WILL BE HELD AT 6:00 P.M. ON THURSDAY, OCTOBER 17, 2024. THERE WILL BE NO CALL IN ACCESS AS THE OFFICE DOES NOT HAVE PHONES OR INTERNET AT THIS TIME.
To Our Customers:
We appreciate all of the positive response and support we have received from our customers. In hindsight, we realize that the timing of our original announcement could have been better and we apologize for that.
The District staff are doing all they can to be proactive and responsive moving forward. We will always share information as we receive it; to help our customers understand the circumstances.
We want to repair, restore and replace equipment as quickly as possible so that services are available when our customers need them. All of this requires the money to keep the District operational without depleting all reserves.
Today we can say that our restoration efforts are moving forward more quickly than anticipated. Additional resources have become available through the efforts of FEMA, Florida Emergency Management, the Taylor County Commissioners and the District Board.
Because of these developments, the decision to increase the reconnection fee will be revisited at our next meeting of the TCWSD Board on October 17th.
Perry Newspapers will be keeping up with our progress. You may visit them at https://perrynewspapers.com/ Please click here to read about our efforts Newspaper Article
***IMPORTANT NOTICE***
The Tri-County Electric office in Steinhatchee and the Taylor Coastal Water office on Keaton Beach road do not have re-entry passes and will not be used as distribution points in the future. Passes will only be available at the Emergency Operations Center located at 591 East Hwy 27, Perry Fl. 32348; Williams Printing 1119 Hwy 51 Steinhatchee Fl. or the Taylor County Sherriff’s Office in the Taylor County Courthouse in Perry, Fl. Only two per household and you must have proof of residency (utility bill, deed or tax document) and photo ID. Understand that re-entry passes are only for coastal areas such as the beaches or Steinhatchee, not for inland areas. Thank you.
THE DISTRICT BOARD HAS CHANGED THEIR MEETINGS TO QUARTERLY. THE NEXT MEETING WILL BE HELD AT 6:00 P.M. ON THURSDAY, OCTOBER 17, 2024
CALL IN PROCEDURES
IN AN EFFORT TO PROTECT THE PUBLIC AND THE DISTRICT BOARD, A CONFERENCE LINE HAS BEEN SET UP TO ACCOMMODATE COMMUNITY ACCESS TO OUR MONTHLY MEETINGS.
CONFERENCE LINE: 1-917-900-1022 CONFERENCE ID: 18820
THIS IS NOT A TOLL-FREE NUMBER AND YOU MAY BE SUBJECT TO LONG DISTANCE CHARGES, ACCORDING TO YOUR LONG DISTANCE PLAN
When the Chairperson opens the meeting for public comment, please follow these instructions:
If you wish to speak please dial *5. The moderator will unmute your line when it is your turn to speak, and notify you by announcing the last 4 digits of your telephone number. Please announce your name and address. You will be allowed to speak for 3 minutes.
Please Click HERE for Answers to Frequently Asked Questions
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CONTACT TAYLOR COASTAL WATER & SEWER DISTRICT
