Citrus County has been seeing some serious heavy summer rain over the last few days. In some parts of the county, residents are saying between 10-12 inches of rain.
The excess rain is not helping an ongoing issue in the county. Some residents say every time it rains, US-19 floods from Homosassa to Crystal River into nearby neighborhoods, and dirty rainwater drains into the Halls River, located right behind their homes.
US-19 is the most travelled road in Citrus County and for the past two years it has been surrounded by traffic cones and road closed signs.
Gary Bartell Jr. is a native and passionate about the area he grew up in. He told Bay News 9's Katya Guillaume, “This project was started, was brought to the attention of the board of county commissioners in 2012 by DOT. Their initiative was to fix stormwater drainage by widening US-19 from 4-lanes to 6-lanes.”
Bartell said the construction has actually made the issue worst. When you drive into the county from the south, past West Homosassa Trail, contractors built what was suppose to be a drainage area, but now is more of a pond.
“It was designed to do what it was supposed to do," Bartell explained, "Collect the rainwater runoff from US-19 and then filter it and then it settles.”
The dirty untreated water that’s being drained under US-19 is being redirected to a culvert that Bartell said he has emphasized to the Florida Department Of Transportation is the same one that’s being poured into Halls River.
“The water clarity is nothing like it was," Bartell said as he looked around the river in the back of his parent's backyard. "When I was a kid we swam in this river every day, now I will not allow my four-year-old son to even touch the water it's how disgusting it is.”
Bay News 9 reached out to FDOT for a comment and received a statement saying in part “While no water from Pond 4 is directly discharged into Halls River, it does flow into a drainage basin which ultimately leads there.”
“They actually came out and said that it was intentional and that this was purposely designed to flow to the Halls River because of fears of flooding the roads instead,” Bartell commented.
The biggest question remains unanswered, What’s the solution?
“That was my first question is what is the solution to this," he said. "How do we not direct it to an outstanding Florida waterway? Their answer! there is no solution, that’s the only way. So what they’re going to do instead is desilt the canals.”
A process he said that will take more money and more time but one he will not stop fighting for.
Bartell created a Facebook page to keep Citrus County residents informed on the direction the project is headed towards. You can find that page by clicking https://www.facebook.com/groups/1201623630340209
Full statement from FDOT Spokesperson
"The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) works closely with regulatory agencies to ensure that stormwater discharged from roadway projects is appropriately treated prior to release into waterways. These regulatory agencies review and approve Department-designed stormwater systems and issue permits that require strict monitoring of water quality during construction. FDOT construction field staff are required to monitor water turbidity and ensure the stormwater system is built in compliance with the permitted plans. With regard to the US 19 project, Pond 4 has been designed to meet these permit requirements. While no water from Pond 4 is directly discharged into Halls River, it does flow into a drainage basin which ultimately leads there. With regard to leaking pipes, the Department requires to video inspect each pipe run to identify and repair leaks. The FDOT construction field staff are also monitoring the roadway for any signs of depressions or sinkholes."