BY MARK J. CRAWFORD
A grant-funded flood vulnerability assessment produced by NV5 and shared at the March 18 Bradford County Commission meeting set some priorities but also raised some questions.
Ryan Thompson, a senior project manager for the company, presented the project results. The assessment defines where flooding occurs in the county, evaluates the severity and — based on the impact to transportation, critical infrastructure, high-risk populations, etc. — prioritizes focus areas. From there recommended adaption strategies and future project funding can be identified.
The project began last April by establishing a steering committee that included staff from the county, regional planning council, water management district and the city of Hampton. Thompson said they collected critical assets as determined by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, the agency administering the grant, and verified those assets with the committee members.
They ran computerized flooding models, conducting six scenarios from the years 2024, 2040 and 2070 using both 100- and 500-year storms. They compared the flood models with the mapped assets to determine the sensitivity of each, refining the list of assets based on critical need during a flood.
Of 60,000 assets collected, they narrowed it down to around 300 by excluding private wells and septic systems as well as historical, natural and cultural resources not considered critical during a flooding event. County staff added recommendations to the critical assets remaining. Beyond the asset sensitivity revealed by the flooding model, they used an index that considers the population living near the asset (social vulnerability), the area around the asset (physical vulnerability) and risk to the asset itself (direct vulnerability).
The final list included 30 bridges, five communications towers, four boat ramps and three health care facilities.
Thompson said the model is great at identifying areas of concern but not detailed enough to determine the exact extent of a concern. That’s why 30 bridges countywide are on the list but not culverts in flood prone areas.
“Although it’s good and it’s appropriate at this stage in the vulnerability assessment, what you’ll hear me say when we come to recommendations is those adaptation plans are to look more closely at some of these areas to determine exactly what the needs are, so you can have very specific mitigation measures and then apply for implementation funding,” he said.
The focus list included Lake Sampson, Alligator Creek running through Starke and Water Oak Creek, in addition to bridges countywide. Assets around Sampson include several bridges and a communication tower, as well as the Three Pipes water control structure. Alligator Creek flooding impacts residential areas in Starke and surrounds other assets such as the electric substation and Starke ER. This is worse when water is released by Chemours. Water Oak Creek is also infiltrated by drainage from Trail Ridge, flooding Northeast 171st Street and Northwest 12th Ave.
Thompson said the recommendations from the vulnerability assessment are to prioritize Alligator Creek and Water Oak Creek, including a more detailed analysis to identify specific means of mitigation and seek funding.
What wasn’t mentioned in the presentation was the flooding of residences around Sampson and Crosby lakes as well as private rural neighborhoods like Riverbend Estates. But commissioners, raised those issues, describing people having to paddle down dirt roads to get out.
“We’ve seen it. It’s like nothing you’ve ever seen,” Commissioner Diane Andrews said.
Commissioner Chris Dougherty pointed out that before it gets to the lakes, it comes through Starke, and more so when Chemours is releasing water during a storm. The golf course as well, Andrews said. A focus on Alligator Creek could benefit downstream. Dougherty said they know where it is coming from, it’s about controlling it.
“We’re kind of overstudying it. I think it’s time to move forward and try to find out if we can mitigate it,” he said, although he did recommend some follow up discussion about other areas they know are also impacted.
Citizen Paul Still followed up at the commission’s April 1 meeting, saying the vulnerability report fell short. He said there were “serious problems” with the assessment, and he urged commissioners to hold a workshop with citizens impacted by past flooding. Multiple errors in the document need to be addressed before it is officially submitted, he said. Among those he named the incorrect mapping of Alligator Creek and misreporting of flooding issues.
“One of the problems is that it doesn’t look like the consultant used any of local resources to evaluate what they were saying — people who were knowledgeable about previous flooding events,” Still said. That information includes data and interviews conducted by the Bradford Soil and Water Conservation District.
Dougherty again recognized there were some follow-up discussions that needs to occur.
