East Seminole residents keep wary eye on rising St. Johns

As water levels continue to rise along the St. Johns River just weeks into hurricane season, residents who live along the western shores of Lake Harney in east Seminole County worry that they may face another long summer of flooding woes.

“The worry with us is that we still have water from [Hurricane] Irma that never went completely away,” said Pam Sanders, a retired elementary schoolteacher who has lived along the lake for a quarter of a century. “Since Irma, our ditches have never emptied. And it’s still early in the hurricane season. What happens if we get another storm, like just a tropical storm?”

After Irma last September, some residents along Lake Harney were trapped in their homes because nearby roads were flooded out. The Seminole Sheriff ’s Office even dispatched heavy military vehicles and other equipment to

“I know that a lot of this area does flood. But I think we need to see what we can do to make sure that people can get into and out of their homes.” Bob Dallari, Seminole County commissioner

rescue residents.

The National Weather Service was the bearer of foreboding news last week, issuing a flood warning for the St. Johns River near Geneva and the areas around lakes Harney and Jesup.

As of Friday, east Seminole had received 26.4 inches of rain since January. That is a little more than 3 inches above normal, according to the weather service’s office in Melbourne. Meteorologists say unusually heavy amounts of rainfall during the past several weeks have caused the St. Johns River to swell above its usual levels for this time of year.

As a precaution, county officials have closed the boat ramps at Mullet Lake Park, just north of State Road 46 in Geneva, because of the high water levels. Officials also are urging boaters on the St. Johns and nearby lakes to go slowly, not create wakes and keep an eye out for submerged docks, sandbars and other objects that may not be visible because of the aboveaverage water levels.

“Our big concern is that any heavy rain in that area or any tropical system that develops would be an issue for us,” said Alan Harris, Seminole’s emergency manager.

County officials have also been handing out sandbags to residents in the area.

Lake Harney — along with lakes Jesup and Monroe — are fed by the St. Johns River, which collects rainwater from as far south as Indian River County and flows northward. That causes water to overflow at choke points, such as Lake Harney, for several days after a heavy rainstorm.

In effect, it results in flooding to low-lying areas and makes roads — such as Whitcomb Drive and Lake Harney Road — impassable.

Today, Whitcomb Drive is dry. However, the ditches along the roadway are filled with water because of the rainy spring months.

“We think part of the issue is that the ground is saturated because we’ve had so much rain,” County Manager Nicole Guillet told commissioners recently. “Our engineering teams have been out there, and our stormwater folks have been out there, trying to come up with some sort of preemptive measures to keep it from escalating any further. … We’re taking a look at that area right now to see what we can do to try to mitigate it.”

One possibility is raising the roadways above the lake levels, county officials said.

County Commissioner Bob Dallari, who has been meeting with nervous residents, urged county officials to look at any options to prevent another rainy season of flooded roads.

“I know it’s very difficult to control the St. Johns River — it’s almost impossible,” Dallari said. “I know that a lot of this area does flood. But I think we need to see what we can do to make sure that people can get into and out of their homes.”

Glen Casel, who has lived along Whitcomb Drive for about four years, is familiar with keeping an eye on St. Johns water levels.

This year, though, it’s different, he said. His dock, which juts out into Lake Harney, is already level with the water. In an average year, the water is 3 feet below his dock.

“Some of this is life on the river,” Casel said. “It’s part of what we prepare for every year. But this year, it’s a little unusual. We’ve gotten a lot of rain, and all that water has to go somewhere.”