Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Stormwater topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Winter Springs residents press city over Willow Lake design; staff says new control structure will move forward
Summary
Residents urged dredging and questioned a proposed control structure for Willow Lake after flooding during Hurricane Ian; public works director and staff defended a Pegasus-designed structure, said funding delayed construction to FY26, and set a pond‑maintenance meeting for February 9.
Residents who live on Willow Lake told the Winter Springs City Commission that recent changes to the lake’s weir and decades of sediment accumulation have increased flood risk and reduced water depth, and they urged dredging and clearer engineering analyses.
"It needs to be dredged," said Mike Bouch, who told the commission he has lived on the lake for 40 years and described several feet of muck at the south end. Arun Joshi, another long-term resident, said he could not find calculations in the packet showing how the proposed design manages inflow and outflow and urged the city to show the engineering numbers that justify the revision. "I don't think the design...takes away the option of managing," Joshi said.
John Leeson, who said he endured a foot of water in his home during Hurricane Ian after the weir clogged, told commissioners a proposed "drop the top down" structure without side openings could be inadequate in major storms.
City staff and public-works director Clete Sannier responded that Pegasus Engineering designed the revised control structure and that the design was updated after multiple reviews. Sannier said the structure lowers the top of the weir so water enters at the same elevation as current openings and adds a grate to keep fish and debris from passing through; he cautioned that Hurricane Ian was an extreme event beyond typical design storms.
Staff said the delay in advancing the project came from funding gaps in FY25; the construction bid was issued to Cathcart Construction but the city will include the work in the FY26 plan and seek additional funding, including NRCS support, for inlet and sediment work. Sannier told the commission that a first pond‑maintenance meeting is scheduled for the next meeting cycle and that staff will bring detailed cost information and options for dredging and inlet work.
Commissioners acknowledged residents’ concerns and the limits of any design to withstand an extreme storm like Ian, and they directed staff to continue outreach and to present more technical detail and cost estimates at the upcoming pond‑maintenance meeting.
