Residents tell River Ridge board drainage problems persist; engineer asked to inspect

During public comment at the River Ridge Community Development District meeting on July 23, 2024, resident Shari Perkins said that "a week after the street drains were plugged, the drainage issues persist" and that "water has been overflowing in the triangle monument area." Perkins told the Board a retention pond that drains between River 8 and River 9 "appears to be non-functional" and that ponding was nearly 1 foot above the drain. She said resident Fred Kronke had emailed her about the issue and that she would provide photographs and video to district staff.

District Engineer John Baker explained that, before the inlet was plugged, water from another system was backing up through the pipe into a lower system; plugging the inlet stopped the pushing action but left the trapped water with "no place for the water to go," creating a "very tiny pond in a pipe," he said. Baker told the Board that addressing the initial cross-system flow was completed but that observed flooding instances might still impact the overall system and that "it will likely require additional study." Baker and staff asked Perkins to provide video/photo evidence to help with the assessment.

Resident Ed Nowak asked where the northern outflow on Pinehurst Greens Drive discharges. Mr. Adams (District Manager) said all the water flows into the Estero River and described the pipe routing as running between two houses, across the street, across the golf course and into the ditch that runs down to the River Club. The Board directed the District Engineer to view the drainage firsthand.