Swiftmud says the erosion could pose a danger to people and vehicles, and plans to replace culverts and shore up the banks.
By RICHARD DANIELSON
Published January 12, 2004
OLDSMAR - After more than 30 years, the canal that connects Lake Tarpon to Old Tampa Bay is showing its age.
Over the years, the banks of the Lake Tarpon Outfall Canal have eroded, slowly at first, but recently it's become much more noticeable.
That concerns officials with the Southwest Florida Water Management District, the agency commonly known as Swiftmud.
"It was an incremental process, but in the last year, we've observed that process speeding up, and we've lost probably 2 or 3 feet of the banks in some places" in that time, said Dale Ravencraft, Swiftmud's structure operations manager. "So we're getting increasingly concerned."
Swiftmud officials have budgeted $100,000 to replace the corrugated metal culverts that drain the areas around the canal and to begin studying how much of the shoreline has eroded and how much of the canal's banks have ended up in the waterway. Replacing the culverts and shoring up the banks is expected to take several years, Ravencraft said.
The canal was dug by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in 1968 to prevent flooding around Lake Tarpon after heavy rains.
The corps dredged a channel about 200 feet wide and 12 to 15 feet deep from the south end of Lake Tarpon to Old Tampa Bay. If the water level in Lake Tarpon reaches a certain level, the gates are opened and the water flows down the canal into the bay.
The canal includes gates at its north and south ends to regulate water flowing from the lake to the bay and to keep salt water out of the lake. It is home to manatees and other wildlife, and residents stroll on or fish from its banks. Oldsmar officials have discussed putting a walking and exercise trail connecting R.E. Olds Park and Canal Park along its banks.
In spots south of Curlew Road, the erosion has gotten to the point where it could pose a hazard for Swiftmud's vehicles, Ravencraft said. No one else is supposed to drive along the canal, but he said officials want to fix the problem soon.
"We've got to catch it before it gets any worse," he said.
