Greg Veliz, executive director of the Florida Keys Aqueduct Authority, joined Good Morning Keys on Keys Talk 96.9/102.5FM this morning to talk about the water.
How is the potential other new reverse osmosis plant going?
Veliz said, “We’ve done most of the underground work. We are now moving into the building of the tank phase, and we phase out a lot of our projects, mostly due to funding. But now we’re going to start bidding out the facility. It’s going to be several years before we get there between the drawing, but we’ll get there, and it’s moving in a good direction.”
The original new reverse osmosis plant that was opened earlier this year is doing well.
Veliz said, “In the very beginning, when it was conceived, there was talk that it was only going to be for emergencies, but we found it to be very useful. It augments what we do every day. We use it in situations of high, high demand. We can kick it on, and we know we have that availability and that gives us a lot of breathing room. So I’m looking forward to the day when there’s two of them.”
How is the replacement of the pipeline going?
Veliz said, “We’re through the section that we thought was going to be problematic. We way over prepared for that one. We thought it was going to be a nightmare and that we were going to take a beating, and it ended up not being so. Maybe it was because we did the right preparation. I don’t know. Maybe we just worried for nothing, but I’m giving up trying to guess. We’ll just prepare for them all the same way, trying to guess which is worse and which is better. I think it’s better when you err on the side of it’s not going to be good, and then it’s good. We’re going to drop down to the southern end, where we started. We’re going to start working backwards a little bit towards some bridge crossings that are there. They’re being compromised just because of age. And we’re going to do some new underground there, and then we’ll connect the bridges by the land masses in between them. So we’re going to be moving south. I think the next section might be seven miles. So I think that’s where we’re headed. We’re trying to keep it together, working either north or south of what we’re currently doing. Just so we don’t have spans unless it’s a really obvious, bad spot. We’re going to try to just continue moving in a continuous direction, without breaks.”
The changes will still be in the Upper Keys.
Veliz said, “Every day we’re doing a repair somewhere. There’s 600 miles of distribution, so there’s going to be a repair or a new valve or something, and someone’s going to be out temporarily, but we try to keep them consistent, and ultimately, it’s just getting water. So we try to time it. We try not to get you early in the morning so you can get out of the house and get to work and school and try to have you done by dinner. That’s our goal. We do try to time it. Sometimes it’s an emergency. We can’t help it, but we definitely try to work around people’s schedule.”
What will the legislative session look like this year in Tallahassee?
Veliz said, “Every year, it’s a challenge, no matter how promising the year before looked, no matter what level of commitment you get the year before, every year is a new year, and with it comes new challenges. So we’re going to get up there, and we’re definitely going to put the time in. We’re going to get up there, and visiting people and trying to get our message across, which is basically, you’ve got to have water.”
Veliz is also now a city commissioner in Key West.
He said, “It’s a different perspective and I think I’m going to try to bring forward what the perspective is from the other side, on the other desk, and hopefully bring some of that intothe decision making process, and maybe it’ll be a complete disaster, but we’ll see. So far, it’s been as good as I can expect.”
What will happen over the holidays?
Veliz said, “Everything’s winding down. Some of our projects will shut down for a few days while a lot of the workers go home with their families, but everyone be safe. That’s it. Just, nothing’s that important. Just be safe out there. And let’s get through the holidays. Everybody be happy, and we’ll come back next year and hit it hard.”
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