Flushing of city fire hydrants begins tomorrow

The City of St Augustine reports that starting tomorrow; they will finally have an explanation for instances of reduced water pressure and discolored water for Historic City News readers who live or work in the city — south of King Street between the Matanzas and San Sebastian Rivers.

Between Wednesday, April 22nd, and continuing through November, the City of St. Augustine will be conducting fire hydrant maintenance and flushing of the water system in the area. All testing will be conducted between 7:30am and 3:30pm. Areas where work is being performed will be noticed with signs starting today.

The public affairs department is recommending the same procedures residents in Old Town, Maria Sanchez Lake, and Lincolnville regularly employ due to “deferred maintenance” of the community’s aging water delivery system and rust accumulation in corroded pipes which have been ignored for years due to reported “lack of funds”.

The good news is that no junkets to Spain for politicians, political appointees, or city staff have had to be curtailed, and another planned million dollars in spending on the special pet projects of the 450th commemoration, that profit and entertain the privileged few, will be able to continue, unabated.

In the meantime, ordinary taxpayers and city utility customers, sometimes referred to as “outsiders”, are asked to pay their monthly utility bill without adjustment, act as though the water is “safe”, run their faucets for five to ten minutes in the event of discoloration, and to check “water quality” prior to running laundry. The city has not announced any plans to reimburse customers for stain-damaged items of clothing, so be forewarned.

If the discolored water does not clear up after running your tap as instructed, please call 904.825.1040.