The city of Lakeland, and Polk County, intend to move ahead with a study of what needs to be fixed or adjusted to ensure that the historic high water levels and flooding caused by hurricanes Helene in September and Milton in October never happen again.
Lakeland City Manager Shawn Sherrouse and Lakes and Stormwater Director Laurie Smith on Tuesday also provided some answers to nearly 30 Lake Bonny residents whose homes flooded following the hurricanes.
Study: Sherrouse told city commissioners Tuesday that he met with County Manager Bill Beasley, along with County Roads and Drainage Director Jay Jarvis, Southwest Florida Water Management District officials, Stormwater Director Laurie Smith and city staff on Jan. 8 to discuss a study and a long-range plan.
“We need a study to be done on the entire watershed,” Sherrouse said.
Engineers with Amec Foster Wheeler said such a study would cost between $80,000 and $85,000. Sherrouse said he wants it fast-tracked and added that Beasley told him that he will be sending a letter of a commitment from the county for it to participate, including in the funding of the study.
Sherrouse said the study will take four to six months to complete once they are given authorization and funding.
Background: Several entities oversee and maintain water levels, equipment, pipes and canals around Lake Bonny, including the city, the county, the Southwest Florida Water Management District and CSX Railroad.
Lake Bonny drains north into Lake Parker via pipes and canals that empty on the east side of the Lakeland Electric’s Larson Power Plant. Because those two lakes are similar in elevation, water in Lake Parker can get so high that it can backflow into Lake Bonny if a barrier isn’t closed.
Water from Lake Crago, Lake Gibson and Lake Mirror also naturally flow into Lake Parker because they sit at higher elevations. The water from Lake Parker then goes through a canal on its east side to Saddle Creek, which flows south into Lake Hancock. From there, it goes into the Peace River, which travels south through Polk, Highlands, Hardee, Sarasota and Charlotte counties before emptying into Charlotte Harbor and the Gulf.
But during the flooding event, Lake Parker, Saddle Creek, Lake Hancock and the Peace River were all at historic levels and the water had nowhere else to go. Officials also could not allow large amounts of water to drain from Lake Parker because of concerns about flooding a wastewater treatment facility in Bartow along the Peace River.
Measurements and limits: Resident Patricia Smith emailed multiple questions to Smith, Sherrouse and the Lakeland City Commission on Friday regarding a city-maintained pump that possibly didn’t operate correctly, pipes and drainage canals.
On Tuesday, Sherrouse explained that the Southwest Florida Water Management District originally allowed for 1 million gallons of water per day to be discharged from Lake Bonny through a 12-inch pump, but only when Lake Bonny’s water levels rose above the 10-year flood stage of 130.1 inches and Lake Parker was at or below 130.9 inches.
In 2015 the city hired the Amec Foster Wheeler firm to negotiate a revised permit with SWFWMD (known as Swiftmud), which allowed up to 12 million gallons a day.
In 2018, following Hurricane Irma, the city recognized there was an issue with the 12-inch pump and asked for an 18-inch pump, which Sherrouse said he thought was bought by his predecessor, City Manager Tony Delgado, through emergency funds. A vote by city commissioners was not required because of the emergency.
The 12-inch pump had a maximum capacity of 11.8 million gallons a day, while the 18-inch pump manufacturer’s specifications are for 12.5 million gallons a day.
Small canal: But there was a hitch in this plan. A ditch that runs just south of U.S. 92/Memorial Boulevard and the CSX Railroad tracks can only move 6.3 million gallons of water a day or it will overflow its banks and flood a mobile home community to the west. So that was the maximum city officials released from Lake Bonny during the flooding event.
“We are beholden to Swiftmud in the permit parameters that we have, and hopefully, the point of this study will be able to prove that there are, maybe, potential other options that we can implement if we ever find ourselves in this situation again,” Laurie Smith told commissioners Tuesday.
Federal help: Some residents have argued that the pump was not working following Hurricane Milton. City officials said it was, but that the water had no place to go because the lakes and rivers were full.
When water levels failed to drop after nearly two weeks, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers stepped in with three industrial-sized pumps and hoses that snaked their way through neighborhoods to dump water into Lake Parker.
That lasted several weeks until the water had finally drained out of people’s homes. They were then able to begin the difficult task of throwing out nearly all their belongings and ripping out drywall, which had been ruined by mold.
Resident input: Lake Bonny residents did not attend Tuesday’s meeting. Resident Jan Morsy told LkldNow in a message that residents are currently formulating a petition to ask that:
- A qualified, neutral, third-party investigator or firm conduct a comprehensive review of the flooding events and related infrastructure
- The findings of this investigation be shared publicly to ensure transparency and rebuild community trust
- The recommended changes be implemented in a timely manner to prevent future flooding and safeguard the residents of Lakeland
Kimberly C. Moore is a reporter for LkldNow, a nonprofit newsroom providing independent local news for Lakeland. Read at LkldNow.com.
