The water district is essentially saying that the current residents in the area live in houses that should not have been allowed to be built. Allowing new structures which negatively affect old ones seems close to hoping two wrongs make a right.
Like the DEP and the New Wales extreme sinkhole, the district need not apologize as long as they follow the letter of the law.
Read the complete article here at WFLA.
Comments by OSFR historian Jim Tatum.
jim.tatum@oursantaferiver.org
– A river is like a life: once taken,
it cannot be brought back © Jim Tatum
New developments with poor irrigation causing major flooding for Wesley Chapel residents
WESLEY CHAPEL, Fla. (WFLA) — Neighbors in Wesley Chapel are flooded out. They say the water is not from a storm, but rather construction along State Route 56.
The water has receded several inches but neighbors are fed up. Some have lived there for decades and haven’t seen anything like this except during Hurricanes Sandy and Irma.
“Whoever designed that drainage system, they’re doing it incorrectly,” said Jeff Alling, who is flooded out….
The District sent News Channel 8 this statement:
“The Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) has investigated several flooding complaints in this area. We did note several illicit surface discharges of turbid water from permitted construction sites in the area. District staff worked with the permittees, engineers of records and their consultants to install appropriate sediment and erosion control measures to eliminate the illicit (turbid ) discharges from their construction sites.
“Unfortunately, Betts Drive and the residential lots were constructed in the 100-year floodplain, prior to stormwater permitting requirements. District regulatory permitting requirements were implemented in 1984. If a development was proposed in this location today, they would need to elevate the living structures above the floodplain elevation. They would also need to provide calculations demonstrating that any fill placement within the floodplain would not impact offsite areas….”
Pasco County said Betts Drive is private and the county has no jurisdiction over it. The county also said the standing water is from the New River which has crested and it could take several days before it returns to normal water levels.
