BY MARK J. CRAWFORD
Telegraph Editor
Watching lake levels rise and the rain continue to fall, some fear flooding is on the way.
The Emergency Management Division of the Bradford County Sheriff’s Office has two self-serve sandbag filling stations open and recently restocked with sandbags. You will need to bring your own shovel to the fire stations in Heilbronn Springs (21312 NW S.R. 16) or Sampson City (13641 SW C.R. 227).
Emergency Management Director Brad Witt said the gates between Sampson Lake and the Sampson River have been completely open since Labor Day, allowing water to drain from there into the New River and Santa Fe River. The county operates the gates in accordance with the guidelines of the Suwannee River Water Management District permit.
Witt said there had been no reports of any property damage, but they are keeping an eye on water levels. Prior to the recent rainfall, lake levels were low, he said.
Witt couldn’t comment on complaints about debris in Alligator Creek that might be slowing drainage. Much of the creek borders private property, which makes evaluation difficult, he said, adding the Bradford Soil and Water Conservation District does monitor the creek for blockages.
The conservation district board will meet at 9 a.m. Sept. 20 at the Bradford County Extension Office to discuss increased flood risks.
In the meantime, some are very worried, including 81-year-old widow Mary Bowles, who spoke to reporter Cliff Smelley on Tuesday. She remembers the water taking six months to recede following Hurricane Irma. After she and her late husband hauled five trailer loads of furniture and other belongings to the dump in 2017, she doesn’t want to see her home flood again.
“We lost everything,” Bowes said.
But, she doesn’t see much help on the way. She said there is debris and vegetation that needs to be cleaned up at both the east and west ends of the lake. With more rain in the forecast, she continues to watch the water rise, saying a concrete block she placed near a boat ramp is was now completely submerged, and another placed closer to her house is nearly under water as well.
“I love it here. I love my lake, but I’m tired of (no action being taken),” Bowes said, vowing to paddle her boat to the eastside of the lake and take action herself if necessary.
“I’m going to start digging a trench to get that water out of the lake,” she said. “I’m old stock. You do what you have to do.”
While, thankfully, there hasn’t been hurricane conditions, smaller amounts of rainfall are adding up. Rainfall at Louis Hill Tower in northern Bradford County showed 1.5 inches of rain over from last Tuesday through Monday, Sept. 12. The New River Tower in western Bradford measured 2.17 inches of rain.
As for lake levels, the numbers from the water management district reveal deepening waters. Sampson and Crosby lakes each grew more than a foot since last Tuesday and were above 131 feet above sea level on Monday, as was Sampson River. New River was up less than a foot to 92.19 feet, but the Santa Fe River at Worthington Springs was up nearly two feet to 60.69 feet above seal level.
On the other hand, the numbers show Alligator Creek dropped nearly four feet after reaching 144 feet above sea level on Saturday.
With more precipitation forecast nearly every day, only time will tell if short pauses are enough to allow the water to flow through the system.
