The Anclote River is a major drainage way that flows through west Pasco County. Last summer it filled up and flooded dozens of homes. A year later, county officials are making strides to make sure that doesn't happen again.
Recently Pasco officials secured a grant to help address the issues, but they say more money is still needed to continue their work.
- Anclote River, which flooded in the summer of 2015, was cleaned
- Dozens of dump trucks removed debris
- Project cost $830K, 75 percent was covered by a grant
Thursday crews were in the river to remove debris. The total cost of for clearing our Anclote is $830,500 -- 75 percent of which is being covered by the National Resource Conservation Service.
“So far they have removed 720 cubic yards, that's approximately 35-40 dump trucks," said Public Works Program Administrator Paul Dean.
Three miles of river and two miles of ditches are being cleaned out from Starkey Boulevard to Elfers Parkway. According to the county, large scale projects like this one aren't generally in the budget.
One of the ditches the crew cleaned out hadn’t been cleaned in 12 years.
“Our storm water fee does not cover enough of these kinds of projects," said County Commissioner Kathryn Starkey. "We have a 90-year back-up on projects like this,"
The county recently tried to raise its storm water fee, but the move was voted down.
“It was this high," pointed resident Joe Morena, "right up near those homes that high about four feet of water. We have a lot of elderly people and they can't get out of their homes so hopefully this will relieve some of it."
The project is expected to be finished in October.