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Residents urge moratorium, stronger wetland protections after sudden flooding
Summary
Dozens of residents told the council recent rains produced knee- to waist-deep flooding and urged an immediate moratorium on new development, bans on wetland mitigation, and stronger local stormwater rules; conservation experts urged local action to avoid shifting water to low-lying neighborhoods.
Dozens of Edgewater residents spoke at a Sept. 16 special meeting about flooding they said followed a heavy rain event, with multiple speakers urging a pause on development and new local rules to protect wetlands.
Greg Gembert, a longtime conservation-district official who identified himself as a former Volusia Soil and Water Conservation District chair, urged three immediate steps: "Number 1, stop the bleeding," he said, and later argued, "You gotta stop recontouring the dry places because we've done so much mitigation." He recommended short-term limits on clear-cutting, a moratorium on recontouring and stronger local controls on wetland mitigation.
Dr. Wendy Anderson, an environmental scientist and a Volusia Soil and Water conservation board member, told the council, "When you fill and build in wetlands, it will push that water over to lower lying areas." She urged the city to consider stricter local mitigation standards and low-impact development practices.
Residents described clogged ditches, canals that failed to drain and damaged yards and homes after a two-hour rain event. Several asked the council to enact a temporary moratorium on permitting in affected areas while an independent engineering review and a maintenance audit are completed. The council set a special meeting for Sept. 20 to receive staff analysis and legal options on a moratorium.
