Water-Main-Facts

The project involves the installation of new water main transmission and distribution service for our residents. This project is a component of a potable water interconnection between the Town and the City of Sarasota's potable water system. Currently, our water is provided solely from Manatee County where this interconnect with the City of Sarasota will allow greater flexibility during times of emergencies. The water main improvements will facilitate pumping potable water from the South to the North on Longboat Key.

The project area is the primary location where construction activity is occurring. The project pipeline route runs along the East Corridor of Gulf of Mexico Drive from the South Key Water Station (280 Gulf of Mexico Drive) northward to Bay Isles Road. This project consists of the installation of approximately 18,000 lineal feet of 12-inch to 16-inch diameter potable water main along the eastern right-of-way of Gulf of Mexico Drive. The water main improvements will facilitate pumping potable water from the South to the North on Longboat Key.

The base construction cost is $2,124,800. Funding for this project has been provided in part by a low interest state loan under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection.

There are a number of elements to constructing this pipeline. Existing utilities (telephone, cable, gas, water, sewer, etc,) locating and flagging will be active through-out the course of the project. Survey crews will be tracking route alignment and recording measurements for the Town's records. The GC will be using several field crews to install the pipe. Depending on the location, the pipe will be installed using two methods - Horizontal Directional Drilling (HDD) and Open-Cut Trenching (OCT). Once installation is complete, service taps to distribution lines will be installed.

Horizontal Directional Drilling (HDD) is a method of installing underground pipes from the surface through non-vertical drilling. Once a bore hole has been drilled, the pipe is basically connected to the drilling head and pulled back through the bore hole to its destination point. The pipe material generally used for this type of installation is called High Density Polyethylene (HDPE). HDPE has been used in a number of utility applications for decades. It provides flexible characteristics preferred for HDD applications. HDD is used on this project where it was technically feasible to minimize above ground impacts. HDD minimizes disruption to the surface such as pedestrian walkways, landscaping, etc. This method of installation has been used for approximately 40% of the length of the pipeline route and to the maximum extent possible for this project.

Open-Cut Trenching (OCT) is a method of installing underground pipes by cutting a surface trench to a specified depth, laying the pipe and then covering the pipe. This is a common method of pipe installation. Heavily congested utilities and service connections require the use of OCT which allows more access due to the conditions. There will be obvious site disturbance and some traffic and pedestrian disruptions. Surface restoration will be required.

At this stage of the pipeline installation, no service interruptions are expected. During the final stages of the project, connection of existing distribution lines to the new pipeline will cause temporary service interruptions. Residents will be notified whenever possible of these planned interruptions.

Questions regarding the project may be directed to the Public Works Department at (941) 316-1988 or by emailing us at GMDpipeline@longboatkey.org. This website will be updated periodically as new information is available.