Residents urge fixes for plugged drains and ponding; board directs engineer to inspect

Shari Perkins, a River Ridge resident, told the Board of Supervisors on July 23 that drainage problems persisted a week after a pipe was plugged and water has been overflowing around the Pinehurst triangle monument. She said another resident reported a retention pond between River 8 and River 9 that appears to be non-functional and is “nearly 1 foot above the drain,” raising concerns about potential flooding.

Board members asked for evidence. Perkins said she has photographs and agreed to obtain video footage and provide it to CDD staff. A board member asked specifically whether there was video of water bubbling out of the drain; Perkins said she would provide whatever video she could obtain.

District Engineer John Baker said the original problem — water from one system draining directly into another — had been addressed when the inlet was plugged, but that "it will likely require additional study" because the water now has no place to go and is, in effect, pooling in the pipe. The Board agreed to direct the District Engineer to view the affected areas firsthand.

Resident Ed Nowak asked where the outflow on the northern end of Pinehurst Greens Drive discharges. District Manager Chuck Adams said the pipes in question run between two houses across the street, across the golf course and into the ditch that drains to the Estero River.

The Board did not take immediate remedial action at the meeting beyond directing an inspection and requesting visual evidence; staff signaled it will follow up with study and engineering recommendations at a future meeting.