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Pinehurst residents demand priority fixes after June flooding; engineer cites blocked drains, promises cleaning plan
Summary
Pinehurst residents told the River Ridge CDD on June 25 that repeated flooding, including a June 12–14 storm, created unsafe, impassable streets; the district engineer said blockages likely caused prolonged ponding and agreed to clean inlets and produce a written remediation plan.
Residents from Pinehurst pressed the River Ridge Community Development District Board of Supervisors on June 25 to prioritize long‑standing drainage failures they say have left streets impassable and posed safety risks after recent storms.
Mike Dugan told the Board he and other Pinehurst residents are “galvanized in one voice” and demanded that River Ridge make Pinehurst flooding its “#1 or co‑#1 priority, regardless of cost,” warning that residents will explore legal options and pay for sandbagging if the district does not commit to immediate action. Ed Nowak said the neighborhood has experienced flooding weeks after storms and called the district’s redesigned drainage system “flawed and unacceptable,” urging a final redesign and expedited work during hurricane season.
District Engineer Charlie Krebs responded that he inspected Pinehurst after staff sent video of the flooding and found leaves and debris on grates and in pipes. Krebs said MRI inspected and removed material from grates and flushed debris from pipes; he told the Board some Pinehurst drains may have more than 25% blockage and agreed to have MRI clean the inlets. Krebs said he was on site the day of the storm and traced flow to three downstream control structures toward the wetlands.
After the update, Chair Bob Schultz asked Krebs to prepare a written plan with an estimated timeline detailing how the situation will be resolved and to provide that plan to the Board, district staff and the Pinehurst neighborhood representative. The demand for ongoing, frequent updates from Pinehurst residents was a recurring theme of the public comments.
The residents’ statements emphasized both safety concerns and skepticism that prior redesign work shifted flooding from other neighborhoods to Pinehurst; the district’s immediate, operational response focused on clearing blockages and documenting a remedial plan. The Board did not vote on capital design changes at the June 25 meeting.
Next steps: Krebs will have MRI clean the identified inlets and prepare the written remediation plan and timeline requested by the Board; the plan is to be circulated to the Board, district staff and Pinehurst representatives.
