"We can't tolerate additional rain right now," a county emergency official says. The county wants to improve drainage in one area and fix erosion in another.
By BRIDGET HALL GRUMET
Published August 11, 2004
NEW PORT RICHEY - With the county saturated from recent heavy rains, Pasco officials are warily watching the course of tropical storms Bonnie and Charley, dreading any system that could bring another drop of rain.
Neither storm is projected to hit the Tampa Bay area, but "all bets remain open," Michele Baker, the county's director of Emergency Management, told the County Commission on Tuesday.
"We can't tolerate additional rain right now," she added.
The Anclote River, which rose 8 feet over the weekend, submerging roads and yards around the raised homes, is slowly receding, Baker told commissioners at the West Pasco Government Center. Nearby roads are "almost passable in most locations," she said, but yards remain soaked.
At the same time, Baker said, some of the neighborhoods that flooded last summer, such as Bass Lake, are once again wet.
"We have many neighborhoods that are on the precipice of being front page news again," Baker said.
Sierra Pines, located near State Road 54 and the Suncoast Parkway, is one of those neighborhoods, Commissioner Pat Mulieri said. Gunlock Road is flooded, she said, and water is once again under some residents' raised homes.
Officials from the county and the Southwest Florida Water Management District have been working with Sierra Pines residents since last year, county engineer Jim Widman said.
The county hopes residents will participate in the solution - an improved drainage system for the neighborhood - by donating the needed right of way and sharing in the construction cost.
The county will pick up the $15,000 to $20,000 tab for temporarily fixing a separate area in east Pasco, near the College Heights and Timber Run subdivisions. Repeated rains have created a large erosion area - 75 feet in length, 25 feet in width and up to 12 feet in depth - just north of State Road 52 and east of Happy Hill Road.
The county will clear away the fallen trees, fill the eroded area with concrete rubble and eventually design a permanent solution.
Mulieri cast the only vote against the repairs, questioning the fairness of fixing this spot while other roads await repairs.
Commissioner Ted Schrader said it was a question of liability: The county is responsible for the area that is eroding, and the problem continues to creep closer to residents' homes, he said.
In other news
ALOHA PANEL APPOINTED: Commissioners named the members of an ad hoc committee that will investigate complaints about Aloha Utilities and recommend possible improvements.
The members are: Commission Chairman Peter Altman; health department director Dr. Marc Yacht; Aloha president Steve Watford; Aloha consulting engineer David Porter; customers Wayne Forehand and John Gaul; and independent water experts Cristine Owens of Tampa Bay Water and Steven Duranceau, an Orlando consultant.
The Legislature passed a bill earlier this year allowing the creation of the panel. Aloha Utilities serves the Seven Springs area, where some customers have complained their water is discolored or smells of rotten eggs. State Sen. Mike Fasano, R-New Port Richey, who sponsored the bill, gave commissioners a thumbs-up from the audience Tuesday after the board members were appointed.
Watford had requested a delay in naming the members so additional customers could apply for seats on the board, but Commissioner Ann Hildebrand said it was time for the panel to get started.
"I think there's a little bit of a sense of urgency here," she said.
Bridget Hall Grumet covers Pasco County government. She can be reached in west Pasco at 869-6244 or toll-free at 1-800-333-7505, ext. 6244. Her e-mail address is bhall@sptimes.com
