In late December, floating homes on both East and West Piers were flooded due to plumbing problems.
A burst water pipe flooded the barge of #15 East Pier at low tide. When the tide came in, the house wouldn’t float, so the bay water came in the windows and rose to two feet deep on the main floor. The firemen who responded estimated there were 40,000 gallons of water in the house. Fortunately, the elderly occupant was able to get to safety.
Aboard the Fairy Tale on West Pier, owner Julie Durbin says, “for a couple days in a row I felt like I was walking up or downhill on the boat. I thought maybe it was me… I was tired and lightheaded. As it turned out, the stern of the boat was sinking.”
Julie called in a local plumber who explained that her float switch was faulty and had been failing intermittently for a couple of weeks. Also, there was no water sensor alarm to warn her of rising water levels. Says Julie: “We’ve learned a lot from this process and hope that everybody will check to make sure they have an alarm and shut-off valve.”
