- April 18, 2024
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Vandals opened 20 valves at the water system facility in the Plantation Reserve Estates subdivision Jan. 17, releasing 400,000 gallons of finished water from the plant and leaving the 1,700 residents of Plantation Bay with dry taps the next morning.
Flagler County issued a precautionary boil water order for users of the Plantation Bay water system that remained in effect the morning of Jan. 20.
“When all of that water was drained, the water pressure dropped,” Flagler County General Services Director Heidi Petito said in a Flagler County news release. “The boil water notice is precautionary, and is required any time the water pressure drops below a certain level.”
A Flagler County Sheriff's Office deputy was called to the water plant at about 10:23 a.m. Jan. 18 to investigate. Locals had started calling in about weak water pressure at about 10 p.m. the night before.
A county utility coordinator showed the deputy that valves. "The water pipes extend approximately 2-3 ft. above the ground, and in most cases are located a few feet in from the street on the property line," the deputy wrote in a case report. "I was informed that these pipes, after a residence is built on the respective lot, will supply water to the individual residences."
The utility coordinator told the deputy that the stunt is expected to cost the county about $2,500, including about $2,200 for the cost of the water, plus $300 for treating and testing it the system again.
The county has asked anyone who sees suspicious activity to call the Sheriff’s Office at 437-4116, according to the news release.
