Residents raise drainage and flooding concerns at River Ridge CDD meeting

At the River Ridge Community Development District meeting on July 23, residents urged the board to address persistent drainage problems around Pinehurst, saying plugged drains and a possibly nonfunctional retention pond are causing water to pond and overflow.

"A week after the street drains were plugged, the drainage issues persist; water has been overflowing in the triangle monument area," resident Shari Perkins said, and she told the board that resident Fred Kronke had emailed her about a retention pond between River 8 and River 9 that "appears to be non‑functional; ponding is occurring and is nearly 1' above the drain." Perkins said she has photographs and will obtain video footage to provide to CDD staff.

District Engineer John Baker explained the recent field situation: before the inlet was plugged, water from one system was backing up into a lower system through the pipe; the inlet was closed to stop that cross‑system flow, but "there is no place for the water to go and it is essentially akin to a very tiny pond in a pipe," he said, adding that resolving the issue will "likely require additional study." He advised documenting flooding with photos or video to help staff diagnose the problem.

A board member asked whether there was video of water bubbling out of the drain; Perkins confirmed she would provide images and video. The board directed the District Engineer to view the drainage firsthand and to coordinate next steps with CDD staff.

Resident Ed Nowak asked about the physical outflow at the northern end of Pinehurst Greens Drive. Mr. Adams (District Manager) said the pipes in question run between two houses, across the street and golf course, then into a ditch that drains to the Estero River.

Next steps: the board asked staff to collect resident photos/video, the District Engineer will inspect the sites cited by residents, and staff will report findings back to the board at a subsequent meeting.