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A levee would be built to prevent a surge of water from flooding Inglis and Yankeetown. Some residents aren't convinced.
By ALEX LEARY, Times Staff Writer
© St. Petersburg Times, published October 11, 2002
INGLIS -- Amid lingering concerns over a crack in the lake bed near Inglis Dam, state officials unveiled a plan this week to build a levee to divert a surge of water away from several hundred homes along the Withlacoochee River.
The earthen levee would add 19 feet to an existing 15-foot dam that prevents water from spilling over the Cross Florida Barge Canal and into the lower Withlacoochee River.
A worst-case scenario outlined for the state Department of Environmental Protection involving a catastrophic failure of the dam, which holds back Lake Rousseau, and a severe hurricane, predicted a surge as high as 29 feet, leaving 5 feet to spare.
URS Corp. of Tampa, which did the computer modeling, said the levee would divert water down the barge canal and into the Gulf of Mexico, sparing homes in Yankeetown and Inglis from possible flooding.
But some residents who attended a meeting in Inglis Wednesday night were skeptical of the proposal because, they fear, it could lead to flooding elsewhere.
"We have concerns about what will happen to this huge amount of water when it reaches U.S. 19," said Inglis resident Seeth Trimpert.
"Some of it surely will flow north along the road and could potentially sheet flow into the area where there are homes and businesses."
Trimpert urged the state to pay for additional modeling to determine the effects of the levee before it is constructed, which could be in a few months.
URS engineer Joe Ruperto acknowledged there could be some water lost from the barge canal but argued that it would be minimal and noted that the topography of the land in the area is such that it dips down toward the gulf.
Other residents questioned why the state would spend money on a levee before addressing possible problems with the dam.
About $750,000 has been budgeted for the levee, though the cost could run up to an additional $100,000.
Jena Brooks, director of DEP's Office of Greenways and Trails, said her budget request for next year includes $500,000 to study the crack near the dam.
But she and other officials stressed that the state had an obligation to develop an emergency action plan in the event of a dam failure, regardless of a crack.
"We need to have something in place now as opposed to waiting," said Gary Kuhl, director of operations for the Southwest Florida Water Management District, which runs the dam for the DEP.
The state is developing the contingency plan as required under the 1996 National Dam Safety Program Act. URS is conducting extensive mapping to determine what areas could flood and how soon.
Meanwhile, the state is devising an emergency notification process, such as a "reverse 911" system in which authorities could deliver a recorded message to homes.
The urgency at which the state is proceeding left Inglis Town Commissioner Joe Owensby wondering if the problem at the dam was worse than what has been explained to the public.
Brooks said that was not the case. She noted that the crack -- some people prefer the term fissure -- in the lake bed has apparently been there for decades.
A recent dye test confirmed that water is seeping from Lake Rousseau and bubbling out on the west side of the dam. That has drawn more attention to the situation, but it does not indicate a serious problem, Brooks said, adding that further study should provide better answers and possible remedies.
-- Alex Leary can be reached at 564-3623 or leary@sptimes.com.