Fellsmere Water Control District tapping reserves to spend $1.2 million on flood control

FELLSMERE — The Fellsmere Water Control District is spending $1.2 million to clean three major canals in response to the November monsoon which flooded parts of the city and surrounding area.

The project will clean and clear the district's three largest canals — Lateral U, Park Lateral and the Main Canal — which handle storm water.

But the project also drain the district's reserve fund, leaving the district with little money for emergencies. The district is exploring how to rebuild its reserves, which could include raising assessments from the current $29 per acre to $33.50 — a 15% increase — or more.

"It has been a number of years since there has been a cleaning," said Special District Services Administrator Frank Sakuma. "This project gives us the biggest bang for our buck, and does the most good while the district works through plans to clean the (smaller canals)."

Despite the lack of maintenance, the canals actually drained faster than they were designed to during November's deluge, according to Simons.

Beginning at 7 a.m. Nov. 16, about 14 inches of rain fell in 24 hours, according to the National Weather Service.

The Water Control District moves floodwater out of Fellsmere and land around, north and east, eventually to the Indian River Lagoon.

Ditch drudgery

A key complaint of residents, and their theory of why the drainage system failed in November, is the neglect of both the main canals and sub-lateral canals.

Some residents claim they have not seen maintenance in more than 10 years, and even have trees sprouting from the canals.

"Over the years sand, debris and plants have washed in from the sub-lateral (canals), creating a less-than-efficient system," said engineer George Simons of Carter Associates, the district's engineering firm. "The erosion, sand, trees and vegetation needed to be taken care of.

"The goal is to improve flow," said Simons. "The more water the three main canals can hold and move, the less water sits in the sub-laterals and reduces the likelihood of flooding."

Back to work

Work will consist of removing plants, grinding stumps, removing sediment, repairing slopes, trimming of trees, removing debris and repairing banks.

The project began last week, and is expected to be completed by July, officials said.

Despite having a yearly budget of only $530,000, the district was able to commit $1.2 million to the project because of money in its reserve fund, received on a land sale in 2007.

However, the project is depleting the district's reserves, according to Supervisor John Kurtz during the board's May 9 meeting.

Raising the assessment to at least $33.50 per acre was discussed t the May 9 meeting. Kurtz proposed an even higher assessment to create a $100,000 reserve.

More: Up to 14 inches of rain floods Fellsmere, Vero Lake Estates

More: "It happened so fast": Areas of Indian River County pounded by rain, left with flooding

Fantastic floods

The canals are designed to drain 2 inches of water every 24-hours, according to Simons.

"In reality, it should have taken at least 6½ days to drain," said district board Vice President Richard Carnell. "It took four days."

"The canal was not designed to handle that much water," said Simons. "Even with the cleaning that is being undertaken, Fellsmere would have still flooded."

Nick Slater is TCPalm’s Indian River County Watchdog reporter. You can reach him at Nick.Slater@tcpalm.com and 224-830-2875.

This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Fellsmere Water Control District tapping reserves to spend $1.2 million on flood control