County works to plug drainage issues

County staff is working to solve an aesthetic drainage issue in a retention pond on Kestral Parkway North, in the Landings neighborhood, caused by an outdated system. Most of the Landings properties were built in the mid-1980s; stormwater systems built before 1994 can be a challenge, said Molly William, a stormwater utility manager for Sarasota County.

“We’re retrofitting some areas to make it better,” William said.

The problem was caused by water flowing from the drainage pipe into the pond at a high velocity, which caused loose sediment on the pond floor to shift into small visible hills, said William.

William and Public Utilities Director Scott Schroyer met with residents from the Landings Friday to discuss some methods the county was using to solve the issue.

In mid-September, staff installed several baffles to slow incoming water. Baffles are low concrete barriers or staggered bricks installed near the drainage piping to help redirect and slow water.

William said the baffles need to be monitored for at least three to four more months to determine if they are working to keep sediment from shifting.

Baffles are the low-cost option, she said, so staff remains hopeful this method will solve the problem.

“We’re trusted with public money, so we want to look at low cost,” she said.

In the meantime, the county is already surveying the area for an alternative solution, if needed.

If the baffles don’t do the job, the next option would be installing a sediment sump beneath the asphalt of Kestral Parkway North.

This method is more invasive — and more costly. A custom-made sump — a box that catches sediment — would be installed below the road so that as water drained into the pond, heavier sediment would drop into the box rather than settle in the pond. The sump would have to be checked and emptied periodically.

One sump can cost more than $50,000, including the mechanism and the installation process.

The county will also install skimmers, which will pick up debris such as trash or leaves from the surface of the water.

Commissioner Nora Patterson, who attended the meeting last week, said the issue hadn’t been addressed sooner because of personnel changes — Schroyer was hired in September, and his first day on the job was Oct. 6. After the meeting, Patterson said she thought everyone was pleased.

“Everything’s going to be on track,” she said.