EUSTIS, Fla. – As the State Road 19 construction project continues in downtown Eustis, people are concerned about flooding at a busy intersection.
In June, the area where Orange Avenue meets Bay Street experienced flooding. Although this spot has had water issues before, some residents believe recent construction has exacerbated the problem.
George Warren is the owner of Bay Pharmacy and is worried about the flooding impacting his business.
“I’ve got photos showing the water level reaching the sidewalk and even the building,” Warren stated. “This is harmful to the structure, and on top of that, it prevents our customers from visiting.”
As storms moved through Central Florida on Monday, Warren told us Bay Street had flooded once again.
To address this, black mesh-wrapped, corrugated tubes have been installed in front of the stormwater drains at the junction of Bay Street and Orange Avenue. These are intended to stop construction debris and sediment from entering the drainage system.
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Eustis City Manager Tom Carrino said the tubes are slowing down the flow of water into the stormdrains.
“The stormwater will flow like it normally did once the construction is done,” Carrino said. “So what I would say is during construction, there are things that are slowing up the flow of stormwater.”
Carrino said they’ve also cleared out some debris and sediment, which may have exacerbated the flooding caught on the Bay Pharmacy security camera.
“I think the measures that we took to go down there and kind of clear that infrastructure out and monitor the system has helped,” Carrino said.
Carrino told us they now have public works and police monitoring the intersection. They are now prepared to put out large yellow barricades in order to prevent people from driving through the flooded intersection.
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