WELAKA, Fla. — When Felicia Stalder hears a hurricane warning, her big question is how much longer will she and her husband have running water. Seeing flooding shut down their sewer system is something many neighbors in the Sportsman Harbor neighborhood of Welaka have gotten used to during hurricane season.
“The water comes up and completely covers our roads and our yards, and you can’t tell where the road is from the canal,” Stalder told First Coast News.
During Hurricane Nicole, neighbors say standing water is typically hip-high, getting as high as four feet. Because of the standing water, the sewer system has to be shut down for days. Mayor Jamie Watt says the water intrusion is an infrastructure issue.
"So, when the water comes in from the [St. Johns] river, it covers the tanks and too much water goes into the tanks," Watt said. "Some of it goes back out when the tide goes back out, but most of it goes back into our system and gets inundated our plant."
The ongoing issue is one a grant from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection plans to fix. Welaka was awarded a $1.4 million grant to install a new sewer system.
“Once this project is complete, we won’t have to turn off the water in our system [and] the residents will have access to the shower and the toilet for those who choose to stay,” Welaka Events Chairwoman Courtney Desouza said.
Neighbors say this move not only gives them peace of mind, but reduces damage to their homes along the river.
“After Hurricane Ian and [when] the surge went down, they had the ductwork replaced," Stalder said. "But Nicole hits, it floods again and they have to have the ductwork replaced again."
Neighbors like Stalder say it's a relief when there's one less thing to worry about when prepping their home for storms during one of the most stressful times of year.
“When it’s your home and there’s no danger to the home to be damaged by high winds, you just don’t want to leave your thing,” Stadler said.
The town of Welaka is currently designing the new sewer system and once the Department of Environmental Protection approves the plans, the town hopes to break ground and start seeing this project come to life before the end of the year.