- Neighbors in the Shell Point community raised concerns over water pressure in the area following a condo fire in early May.
- Talquin said they closely monitored water pressure during that fire incident, and despite the emergency situation, they were able to maintain approximately 50 psi of pressure, demonstrating their commitment to safety
- Watch the video above to see where the fire happened and how Talquin responded to other concerns.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
Neighbors in Shell Point are raising concerns after firefighters had to use water from Apalachee Bay to stop this building from burning in early May. I’m Kenzie Krueger your neighborhood reporter in Shell Point. Firefighters say they had to do this because of low water pressure at the fire hydrants.
They're not the only ones experiencing that issue.
“If you turn on the sink, you might get good pressure or you might not get good pressure.” Robert Strauss lives next to the unit that caught fire on May 1. He tells me water pressure has always been a problem for him on Shell Point.
The fire grew his concern about low water pressure in the neighborhood. “It’s just been an ongoing issue, but this really brought it to the surface.”
When we reached out to Wakulla County Fire Rescue after the fire, in an email, they confirmed they used, "water sourced from Apalachee Bay to suppress the fire due to insufficient pressure at local fire hydrants."
The also urged Shell Point residents to reach out to Talquin if they have water pressure issues. That's exactly what I did after hearing neighbor concerns. I gave them a call to ask why water pressure was low for some in Shell Point.
In an email, they provided me with a letter sent May 15th that says in part, "Talquin maintains system pressures within a range of 40 to 60 pounds per square inch." They also wrote, "under normal conditions, we consistently achieve and maintain this pressure range throughout the system."
When it comes to the recent fire at Shell Point, they said in part, "despite the emergency situation, we were able to maintain approximately 50 psi of pressure, demonstrating our commitment to safety."
Looking ahead for the area, they said, "a new well will be brought online this summer, providing redundancy and additional capacity."
In the meantime, neighbors like Kevin Grenier tell me low water pressure is an everyday occurrence for his family. “My wife will tell you that some days she’s unable to wash her hair because she’s afraid of the water pressure and not being able to get everything resolved so it’s frustrating.”
Talquin tells me they are planning another well closer to the coast to improve water distribution in the future. Until that happens, Grenier says he has one wish: “I want consistency,"
Talquin also told me there are steps neighbors can take to make the most of their water pressure.
- Ask a qualified plumber for cost-effective solutions.
- Those include installing backflow preventers
- And small pressure tanks.
