Residents blaming Largo for dry wells

At least eight people in the area of the retention-pond construction say they think it has caused their problems.

By SHARON TUBBS

© St. Petersburg Times, published March 14, 2000

LARGO -- At first it was just an inconvenience, the loud and continual buzz of heavy machinery, the road blocks, the dust that coated Nelle Attaway's black Reebok sneakers on the way to the bus stop.

But in recent months, Attaway and others say, construction of two city retention ponds has resulted in ruined lawns, cracked ceilings and a fear of things to come.

Attaway, who lives across from the construction site, began noticing ceiling cracks throughout her wood-frame home on Second Street SW two to three months ago. Already, the loud machinery has caused so much vibration that her china knickknacks fell off their shelves. About the same time, the irrigation well she used to water her lawn literally ran dry. It hasn't dripped since, and Attaway blames the construction project.

"They're destroying my house," said Attaway, a 77-year-old whose once plush grass now crackles like straw beneath her feet. "It upsets me."

At least seven others in the neighborhood say their wells are dry, too. Like Attaway, they await a response and solution from City Hall.

But whether Largo is responsible has yet to be determined, city engineer Mike Staffopoulos said. "We're looking into it."

The $3.6-million construction project to build two drainage ponds began last fall. Because the city wants to improve storm-water drainage downtown, the city-hired contractor drained groundwater from the area during several months.

That allowed workers to dredge 2- and 4-acre ponds.

The city knew some shallow irrigation wells in the surrounding area could be drained for a short time during the process, called "de-watering." But residents' wells remain dry, even though the de-watering ended several weeks ago.

Staffopoulos said he doesn't know if the construction is to blame for the dry wells, or whether dry weather conditions statewide have played a role.

"It could be the drought. It could be the de-watering. It could be the combination of the two," Staffopoulos said Monday.

Largo engineering inspectors will go to some residents' homes early next week to investigate how deep their wells are and determine what can be done, if anything, to replenish them soon. If the city finds no solution, residents may have to wait until June, the beginning of the rainy season when groundwater will swell naturally, Staffopoulos said.

Attaway may not be able to wait that long. Hooked up to her well, Attaway's sprinkler system is useless now. So, despite her arthritis, Attaway has hooked up a water hose to an outside connection from which county water flows. For an hour or so each day, she sprinkles the water around her tangerine, orange and grapefruit trees. Without the thorough waterflow from her sprinkler system, however, Attaway's grass has all but died.

Attaway said she hasn't gotten her bi-monthly water bill yet, but expects a hefty increase. So does Jim Pierce, who lives down the street and has also used drinking water to preserve his lawn to some degree. Pierce pleaded with officials last week to do something about the wells. He also fears sinkholes could result from the de-watering process.

Staffopoulos doesn't know if sinkholes could result, but said conditions typical for sinkholes don't exist in the construction area.

As for Attaway, she said she's especially afraid that one crack that stretches across the ceiling in a guest bedroom could cause the ceiling to fall in. The other hairline cracks in the front room, hallway and another bedroom are also disturbing, she said.

Staffopoulos learned of Attaway's concerns in a letter she wrote to the city last month. Mayor Thomas Feaster responded to the letter and told Attaway to relay her concerns to the engineering department, Staffopoulos said. Staffopoulos said Attaway has not called his office, so inspectors have not looked into her situation. He does not know whether the construction could have caused the cracks or not, Staffopoulos said.

Attaway believes Largo, where she has lived more than 50 years, will compensate her in the end. She won't make a fuss about the miniature China pitchers that fell when machinery shook the house a few months ago. But she would like some compensation, perhaps to the extent of repairing the cracks and re-sodding her lawn.

"I assume that the city would be responsible for it," Attaway said. "You always believe in people until they don't do it."

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