Stormwater

The Storm Water Task Force was formed by concerned citizens who have lived in Dixie for many years and we know the topography of the land and its water flow. We thought we could help the county with the task that was ahead. We met under an oak tree in front of a church and prayed for strength. 60+ inches of rain had fallen in less than 100 days. We were flooded, to say the least. Under the advice of Suwannee River Water Management, we started in the most southern region of Dixie County cleaning ditches. We replaced culverts that were damaged with what we had. We were granted easements from private landowners, the largest being Bascom Southern. We thank every one of them for their eagerness to help.

We worked our way north to Cross City and the largest employers in the county, the School District, and the Correctional institutions. We commenced cleaning out the Airport Canal which is a major water drainage ditch that manages water flow from the airport, prison, Eugene, and 55A. The ditches were pre-existing so we could clean ditches to the existing depth. The culverts could only be replaced with the same pre-existing size. To change the dimensions of any replacements (new ditches or culverts), surveys and permits would have to be applied for which takes time and money which we did not have.

We did the best we could with the tools we had. This was an all-volunteer group with donated equipment that gave sweat and treasure with little cost to the county. When we reached a point where we did all we could in the field. We contacted our political representatives, Representative Chuck Clemons, Senator Jennifer Bradley, and Senator Neal Dunn. They came immediately. They had no idea that things were so bad. No state of emergency has been declared by the State or Federal governments. We met two different times. They wanted to know what it would take to help alleviate the problem. We came up with a budget for cleaning out drainage ditches and the replacement of culverts for the entire county. After all Dixie County is one big family.

If we can get the money, we can get back to work. We need to have easement permission from the private landholders (Old Town hammock) in place as soon as possible. The Task Force would like to thank Chuck Clemons, Jennifer Bradley, Neal Dunn, FDOT, Suwannee River Water Management, Bascom Southern, Cross City, County Commissioners, and the Dixie County Road Department for their unwavering help.

The Taskforce is in frequent contact with Suwannee River Water Management and our state and county officials. We helped drain water from a vast area of businesses, schools, and residents. We are sorry we could not get to everyone yet. When we get the anticipated funding (we are praying we will), we will get back to work on more places that need correcting. Again, thanks go to the county, state, and landowners for their help.

Sincerely,

Dixie County Stormwater Task Force
Dates Advertised in Paper: December 2, 2021 – December 9, 2021