City pipeline leaks

City pipeline leaks



By KATI BEXLEY
kati.bexley@staugustinerecord.com
Publication Date: 07/06/08

A 1,600-foot pipeline behind the city's Waste Water Treatment Plant has been leaking for years, and city officials held off fixing it because it cost too much, opening the city up to possible fines from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection.

The corroded, metal pipeline is missing the last 120 feet and has several gaps and holes in it, according to a February 2006 diver inspection report.

The result, said Jodi Conway, DEP spokeswoman, is that millions of gallons of treated fresh water have drained into salt-water marshlands, disrupting the ecosytem and causing the area to become a vibrant green compared to the surrounding brown marsh. Conway said Environmental Protection is working with its attorney to determine if the city will be fined.

DEP also is expected to issue a consent order to the city mandating that the problem be corrected and creating an expedited timeline for the work to be completed.

John Regan, city chief operations officer, said the city repaired two major breaks in the pipeline -- which was constructed in the 1960s -- in June 2007, and staff has actively been working to address the problem.

"I think it's fair to say that the city has to be working every day to solve this problem, Regan said. "And we are."

But Bob Leetch, former St. Augustine public works director, disagrees.

Leetch, who left the city on his own terms in April 2007, said the city has known since at least 2004 that the pipeline had "major issues." In December 2005, Leetch had an engineering study done on the pipe that showed in some areas "the only thing holding it together is barnacles."

He alerted DEP to the problem then and told City Manager Bill Harriss that the pipe needed to be replaced. The cost would have been between $2 million and $3 million. The price tag was too high for Harriss and he said no to the project, Leetch said.

"I didn't want to throw money at it when I wasn't confident we had looked at all the avenues to fix it," Harriss said. "(The city) doesn't have all the money in the world to fix these things, so we have to look at all the options."

Leetch said city management went to the DEP and told them the pipeline "wasn't that bad" so they wouldn't get fined.

"(I had) concerns ethically and morally when the city said there is nothing wrong with the pipeline," he said. "If (the leaking) was OK then why is there a need for a 1,600-foot pipeline?"

Harriss said staff has now "done their homework" and found other ways to correct the leaking pipe.

Regan said the city plans to eventually replace the pipeline using new technology that would bring the cost down to about $1 million. The city would construct the pipe in the Intracoastal Waterway then pull it into place and sink it into place. But first the city will look at repairing the pipe.

"The goal is to stop the leaking immediately in the marsh and a repair might do that," Regan said. "In the long run, we need to replace the pipe."

Long said Environmental Protection and the Army Corps of Engineers granted the city permits this week to fix the pipeline, and they could start today.

"It's the fastest we've ever gotten permits (approved), that I can recall," Long said. "We'd like to go ahead and see that it's fixed and return the marsh to the way it was."

What's in the water

* The pipeline is leaking treated waste water into salt water marshland.

* There are nutrients in the water, such as nitrogen, but the Department of Environmental Protection's main concern is the fresh water disturbing the salt water marsh's ecosytem. Extent of the possible damage not known.

* DEP has tested the pipeline water and determined there is no waste going into the marsh.

* The pipeline was built in the 1960s, and because annual inspections are not required, it is unknown how long and how much water is leaking into the marshland.

* DEP said an environmental study will be done on the marsh.

Timeline

* 1960s -- metal pipeline is constructed

* 2004 -- city staff has known the pipeline has been leaking since at least 2004

* December 2005 -- Former City Public Works Director Bob Leetch had an engineering study done on pipe. It shows there are "major problems" with the pipeline. He alerts Environmental Protection and City Manager Bill Harriss.

* Mid 2006 -- Leetch tells Harriss the pipe needs to be replaced and it would cost $2-3 million. Harriss says that's too much money and says no.

* February 2006 -- The city has an engineering diver inspect the pipeline. It shows there 120 feet missing from the pipe and several gaps and holes.

* June 2007 -- city repairs two major breaks in the pipe

* July 2008 -- city obtains environmental permits to fix the pipe, but expects to replace it.

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