State agency to weigh in on sinkhole situation

Tuesday, January 26, 2010

BAY AREA (Bay News 9) -- The state agency that governs water usage is taking a closer look at the recent sinkhole situation.

Southwest Florida Water Management District officials are meeting today in Brooksville to discuss the issue.

Public workshops will follow in the near future.

More than two dozen sinkholes shut down roads and swallowed up homes across multiple Bay area counties during the past few weeks. Some blame has been put on farmers using sprinklers to save their crops during the recent cold spell.

During the freeze, farmers sprayed millions of gallons of water on their crops to keep them from being damaged by the cold, and as a result the water level in the underground aquifer dipped lower than it had in decades.

Geologists say the dip caused some two dozen sinkholes to open up around Plant City, swallowing a mobile home, closing roads and shuttering an elementary school.

Swiftmud officials said they received hundreds of calls about malfunctioning or dried up wells as a result of the heavy sprinkler usage.

"We want to get input from the community,' said Swiftmud spokesperson Robyn Felix. "We'll talk to growers and local governments and take that feedback to develop recommendations for the governing board.'

Officials said although this is just the first of many meetings, a plan hopefully would be in place for water usage before next winter.