Lakeside denizens press for a fill-up

Homeowners around parched Hunter's Lake have a two-pronged plan: permission and payment. They are greeted with skepticism.

By JENNIFER FARRELL

© St. Petersburg Times, published March 1, 2001

SPRING HILL -- When Doug and Robin DeRespiris moved into their house on Hunter's Lake two years ago, their three kids used to fish off the dock in the back yard.

Now, they'd need to be able to cast the length of three football fields to put a line in the water. Hard ground and weeds have replaced rippling waves.

Hoping to bring the lake back to a more normal level and stabilize its fluctuations in depth, members of the neighborhood homeowners association have come up with a plan they think will help solve the problem.

First, they want a permit from the Southwest Florida Water Management District to drill wells and pump water out of the aquifer into the lake. Next, they want Hernando County to pay for the equipment.

Doug DeRespiris, president of the Hunter's Lake Association, reasons that the plan would address two issues. First, stabilizing the lake's depth would save the county money on weed control: The higher the lake level, the less need for spraying. Second, restoring the lake's depth would provide more fishing and boating opportunities for Hernando residents. And the cost, which he estimates to be between $32,000 and $48,000, would be reasonable, he said.

"Compared to the amount of budgeting they've already set aside for weed control, it's minimal," DeRespiris said. "And it would be important recreationally for other residents in county."

But officials from the water management district and Hernando County seem skeptical.

"You'd have to first show that you're having an unnatural effect that needs to be mitigated," Swiftmud spokesman Michael Molligan said Wednesday. "Lakes do fluctuate naturally, with large portions exposed every five years or so."

The region's crippling drought is doubtless contributing to the problem, Molligan added. Rainfall data show 1999 as the seventh driest year on record, with 2000 being the driest.

"The cumulative effect of those two years is what's really creating the problem," Molligan said. "We've got lake levels and aquifer levels that are down all over the district."

Charles Mixson, county engineer and public works director, agreed.

"It's a natural occurence," he said. "Those lakes go dry, and they fill in."

Mixson said he wasn't sure pumping water into Hunter's Lake would be effective. He predicted that getting approval to drill would be "an uphill battle."

"All you're going to do is filter water," he said. "You're just going to pump it out of the aquifer, pump it into the lake and it's going to go right back down. ... Those are going to have to be some big wells. You're talking a lot of water."

On Tuesday night, nearly 150 people crowded into Bouma Hall for a meeting on the issue with officials from the county and Swiftmud.

Many residents complained about paying taxes on "waterfront property" that is now dry land.

And then there's the flood zone issue. Because much of the area surrounding Hunter's Lake is classified as Flood Zone A, many residents are forced to buy flood insurance, said John Burnett, a public works inspector with the county engineer's office.

Burnett said the county is considering a plan to study the flood basin, with an eye toward adjusting the flood plain and changing the area's designation to Zone C if water levels warrant it. That would relieve many homeowners of the need for flood insurance. The county has proposed sharing the cost of the study with Swiftmud and has applied for a state grant, Burnett said.

He called the plan to pump water back into Hunter's Lake "an interesting proposal."

DeRespiris said he hoped to meet with Swiftmud officials next week to discuss the permitting process.

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