County Commission approves direct water main connector

The first leak in the water main connecting Siesta Key and Casey Key was discovered in 1996. Since then, the problem has become a regular occurrence that the Sarasota County Commission hopes to plug after approving $1.13 million of funding for a new connection.

Commissioners at the Wednesday, June 5, regular meeting unanimously approved the spending for the Siesta Key and Casey Key Water Main Interconnect Construction contract, which will mean a new pipeline between the barrier islands that is made of more efficient materials, said Sarasota County Public Works environmental-design manager Greg Rouse, in a phone interview with the Pelican Press.

“The new connector is made of non-metallic materials,” he said. “The lifespan of the new connector will be longer (than the previous one.)”

The original water main pipeline was built by the Siesta Key Utility Authority in the early 1970s and transferred to Sarasota County in 2006. Technology at the time meant piping had to be on a waterway, so it could not be constructed on a direct pathway between the islands, Rouse explained. The roundabout path meant more piping, which meant a higher probability for leaks.

The technique Coral Springs-based Arrow Directional Boring Inc., the contractor that beat out three other bidders for the project, will use to put the connector underground is more technically advanced than what was used for the previous pipeline, said Commissioner Jon Thaxton. The boring method will minimize aboveground effects by drilling horizontally underground, which also allows for a 2,700-foot-long direct connection.

The process is expected to take about five months and will run from the Pointe condominiums on Siesta Key to join the Casey Key connection, which is adjacent to property owned by author Stephen King, Rouse said.

Commissioner Nora Patterson said that most questions about the project have come from Casey Key residents worried about traffic. Now that funding is approved, Arrow can set its construction schedule. Rouse told commissioners the county plans to meet with resident organizations once the schedule is finalized to inform the public of traffic delays on the north end of Casey Key, which he anticipates are inevitable. Other methods, including emails and flyers, will be considered as well.