DESTIN — More than 1,000 gallons of water flowing through a Destin Water Users “public access reuse line” leaked out Saturday in the area of Twin Lakes Subdivision.
But don’t worry. “It’s sprinkler water, water people put on their yards every day,” said Paul Reese, plant operations manager at the DWU George F. French Water Reclamation Plant.
The water, flowing from a ruptured 18-inch pipe, entered wetlands and likely got into a small pond in the subdivision, Reese said.
While the risk of bacteria exposure to the environment is minimal, it’s possible the water’s high chlorine content could cause a fish kill at the pond, he said.
“I don’t know if there are any fish in the lake,” Reese said. “I’ve never seen any fish in it.”
In an email sent to notify the state Department of Environmental Protection of the spill, Reese noted that the water “is continuously monitored for chlorine residual and is about a 4.0 mg/l at this time.”
The leak has been isolated and repair and cleanup efforts are underway. Reese said materials needed to fix the pipe are being shipped from Texas.
Contact Daily News Staff Writer Tom McLaughlin at 850-315-4435 or tmclaughlin@nwfdailynews.com. Follow him on Twitter @TomMnwfdn.
