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Flooding Issue Addressed

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By HAROLD VALENTINE, The Tampa Tribune

Published: December 22, 2007

LAKE MAGDALENE - Tom Stracke said flooding was not a problem when he moved in 1980 into his home on Reynoldswood Drive, which borders Old Ehrlich Road and several acres of wetlands.

But Stracke said it became an issue in the mid-1980s after the neighboring subdivision, the Hamlet, was built on previous pastureland.

He said when Reynoldswood floods, "you need a Hummer to get out of the street."

After more than 20 years of dealing with flooding during significant rain, Stracke said he is glad Hillsborough County is dealing with the issue.

"These guys have done a great job," Stracke said. "They're really good. They've come around and talked with us."

Stracke was referring to the county's project manager, William Hand, and Brian Acken, a consultant and project engineer. Both were at a public meeting Dec. 13 at the Jimmie B. Keel Regional Library.

Hand said residents affected by the project have offered "invaluable information," such as pictures of the road during flooding.

A major factor thought to be causing the flooding is a berm separating wetlands and a retention pond. Acken said the original design called for a berm at least a foot higher.

Currently when it rains, the pond and the wetlands become one. Hand said that without the separation needed from the berm, rainwater stands still, hampering an existing conveyance system from doing its job.

Another measure includes increasing the width of an outfall pipe of the pond from 18 inches to 30 inches to improve water flow, Acken said, and an improved conveyance system along Old Ehrlich Road.

Beyond the flooding of Reynoldswood Drive, residents said water along Old Ehrlich Road remains high for several days after a heavy rainstorm. Acken said that runoff will not stand as long after improvements are implemented.

Acken said most of the conveyance system on the road is "just a ditch." After improvements, he said the ditch will be shallower, with a pipe on the bottom of a smoother gradient and a covering on top of the pipe.

"I will tell you that under a large storm event, you're going to have water on your road," Hand said. "What's the difference? It'll be gone a lot quicker. It'll be gone within an hour-and-a-half and the peak elevation will be lower."

Stracke said he has to remain vigilant during downpours because a drainage inlet near his house quickly clogs with debris from the wetlands.

"I'm out there in the storm with branches coming down," he said. "I don't think that drain has ever been cleaned."

Hand told Stracke to put in a request to the county to keep the drains clear, adding the county has to at least check out the problem.

Hand said the higher berm meant the wetlands would be holding more water, "which sounds wrong," he said. "But historically it held more water. We wrongly opened it up by not having the berm higher."

He said the project is in the design stages. Once that is finished, he said construction may take roughly a year, with a total cost of $276,000.

Hand said another public meeting likely will be held in mid-May.

Reporter Harold Valentine can be reached at (813) 865-1526 or hvalentine@tampatrib.com.

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