Residents press River Ridge board to fix Pinehurst drains after plugged pipe causes ponding

Resident Shari Perkins told the River Ridge Community Development District board on July 23 that, a week after a pipe was plugged, "water has been overflowing in the triangle monument area" and two drains at the Pinehurst monument need attention.

Perkins said fellow resident Fred Kronke reported a retention pond draining between River 8 and River 9 appears non-functional, with water ponding nearly 1 foot above the drain and a potential flooding risk. The comments came during the meeting’s public-comment period.

District Engineer John Baker explained that prior to the plug, water from one system had been backing up and pushing through into a lower system; by plugging the inlet the immediate backflow was stopped but the water currently has nowhere to go, creating what he described as "a very tiny pond in a pipe." Baker said resolving the problem will likely require additional study and recommended photographs or video to document overflow events.

The Board asked residents to collect visual evidence; Perkins agreed to provide video footage to CDD staff. District Manager Chuck Adams described the system routing and said the pipes ultimately discharge to the Estero River, running between houses, across the street and across the golf course into a ditch that leads to the River Club.

The Board directed the District Engineer to inspect the plugged inlet and drainage lines and consider options, and left the Pinehurst inlet estimate (see related item) on the agenda for future action. No formal motion or allocation was made at the July 23 meeting.