Stormwater pipelines being evaluated
Among the Sarasota County neighborhoods that endured the worst flooding produced by Tropical Storm Debby was Laurel Meadows, at the intersection of Palmer Boulevard and Lorraine Road, in the eastern part of the county.
Videos shared on social media, footage shown on TV news stations and videos produced by Sarasota County Government staff have underscored the damage to the homes.
In videos that county staff also has produced, Spencer Anderson, director of the county’s Public Works Department, has emphasized that his goal is to determine what caused that flooding.
In a video shot the afternoon of Aug. 10, Anderson acknowledged that many people have been asking why the flooding was so bad in Laurel Meadows and why it lasted so long.
Anderson pointed out that he was standing at the site where two county pipelines with diameters of 48 inches are located. They are major elements of the stormwater system that drains the vicinity of Palmer and Lorraine, he explained, as well as other areas in the eastern part of the county and around Bee Ridge Road.
As Anderson talked, the video camera panned the site, showing all sorts of debris. For examples, Anderson noted half a sheet of plywood, a trash can lid, utility box covers and bags of trash. Seeing that wide variety of material, he continued, led him to believe that other things in the county’s pipelines had contributed to the poor drainage residents had experienced.
As soon as it was feasible, Anderson pointed out, staff would use cameras to evaluate the conditions in the pipelines.
In an Aug. 9 video, Anderson explained more about the drainage from the Palmer/Lorraine area, using a county map with canals marked to illustrate his comments.
The Laurel Meadows community drains to the east, ultimately to Canal 149, Anderson said.
Not only does the water have to flow through the two 48-inch pipelines, he pointed out, but it also has to proceed through a couple of pipelines with diameter of 72 inches, to reach Canal 114.
In an update to the County Commission late in the afternoon of Monday, Aug. 12, County Administrator Jonathan Lewis wrote, “Access is still limited to the two 48-inch pipes. The 72-inch pipe to the north was clear.”
In another county video released on Aug. 8, as he was standing along Canal 114 in the Phillippi Creek Basin, Anderson noted the “significant drops” in the floodwaters over the past couple of days, estimating a 3- to 4-foot lowering of the water.
However, he also talked about the need for county staff to undertake maintenance of that canal, as vegetation had become caught up at various spots, impeding the drainage.
The video showed workers pulling clumps of vegetation from the canal.
Canal maintenance takes place throughout year
This week, The Sarasota News Leader sent several questions to Anderson and his staff, in regard to the maintenance of the waterways Anderson had cited in his discussions about the Laurel Meadows flooding.
The questions and answers follow:
- When was the last time that the pipelines funneling water to Canal 114 were checked with equipment that could peer inside them to determine if they had any problems?
“Canal 6.149 conveys water from Delft [Road] to Canal 6.114 and is mowed four to five times annually with a longarm/boom mower and annually with a walking excavator/Menzi, which also removes high spots and obstructions. The canal and culverts are visually inspected during this work to ensure the system is functioning properly. Follow-up work orders are produced as needed. Canal 6.149 flows north from Delft Road to Canal 6.114 on the east side of Laurel Meadows, crossing under Palmer [Boulevard] then north along the west side of Lorraine Road right of way.”
The answers included the mowing dates:
- “Canal 6.149A boom mowing was completed 2/01/24, 4/29/24, 7/8/24”; Menzi on 01/04/24 (east of Laurel Meadows).
- “Canal 6.114 boom mowing was completed 2/05/24, 5/09/24, 7/8/24”; Menzi 03/12/24.
- “Canal 6.119 Main C boom was mowing completed 2/14/24, 5/10/24, 7/17/24”; Menzi, 04/25/24.
- Canal 4.114 Main A (Phillippi Creek) boom mowing was completed 2/27/24, 5/14/24, 7/25/24”; Menzi, 05/13/24. The section of the canal from Beneva Road to Bahia Vista Street was hand-cleared under county contract in July, staff noted.
The News Leader also asked how often Public Works staff cleans culverts in neighborhoods in the Phillippi Creek basin.
Public Works replied, “County-maintained open system drainage (canals, roadside ditches) must be inspected every three years per our Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System (MS4) National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit issued by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP). We exceed requirements for canals by checking and maintaining them annually, at a minimum. If culverts need maintenance, a follow-up work order is produced. A third of our roadside ditches are inspected annually and excavated as needed. Culverts are cleaned shortly after the excavation.”