Water service being restored on Clearwater Beach, Sand Key after main break repaired

A water main break in Coachman Park that caused residents in Clearwater Beach, Island Estates and Sand Key to lose or have limited water service has been repaired and water service is being restored, according to a news release Wednesday evening.

The outage occurred after construction crews working on the renovation of the downtown waterfront hit a water main around 3 p.m. Wednesday, communications director Joelle Castelli said.

At around 6 p.m. the city issued a boil water notice for Clearwater Beach, Sand Key and Island Estates, saying residents should boil cooking and drinking water for a minimum of one minute for at least the next two days. It is safe for residents to take showers, according to the release, but residents are urged not to drink the water without boiling it and to consider tossing out any ice that may have been made by ice machines after the break was repaired.

Customers affected by the water main break will be told when it is safe to stop boiling water, the release said. That determination will be made based on laboratory results.

While downtown water service was initially said to be affected by the break, the city determined downtown was not included in the issue.

Underground utility work began earlier this year on the $84 million Imagine Clearwater project, which will bring an outdoor amphitheater, gardens, a bluff walk and a plaza to the downtown waterfront. The council voted in August for vertical construction to proceed.

This week the city announced roughly 65,000 cubic yards of dirt will be brought to the site on more than 4,000 trucks. The material will be used to elevate the site, lift new buildings out of the flood zone and accommodate grading for design features, according to a news release.

The public can watch Imagine Clearwater’s progress on the city’s live webcams overlooking the construction site at myclearwater.com/imagine.