Pasco begins drainage improvement project to curb flooding

HOLIDAY HILLS (FOX 13) - It never fails, when a heavy storm strikes one Pasco County neighborhood, people always complain of flooding.    

Now, the county has implemented a new drainage improvement project to try and dry out this neighborhood.

One part of that project includes demolishing homes to expand the stormwater retention pond. The public works department came in Thursday and demolished one of three homes it has already bought.

The county is confident this is the answer to the neighborhood's flooding fiasco, but some neighbors aren’t sure about that just yet. The county says more than 200 homes in the Holiday Hills neighborhood have dealt with flooding several times over the past two years.

The public works department demolished one of three homes it bought to expand a stormwater retention pond, in hopes of curbing the flooding.

"By actually taking down this home, and the one beside it very soon, we expand the capacity to actually take the stormwater in, hold on to it before we release it down to the canal," said Pasco County Commissioner Jack Mariano.

Mariano says the demolition is just one part of a bigger project.

"The pipeline that runs down underground and goes all the way through, with the paving that we've done in the neighborhood, we think it's going to help quite a bit," he said.

Neighbors are skeptical that expanding the retention pond will solve the community's flooding problem.

Commissioner Mariano remains confident that in the future, residents won't find themselves in hot water when storms roll through the neighborhood.

"We're very excited for the neighborhood here to actually have some peace of mind, where they go to sleep knowing the storms are coming in, that we've got pumps on the ground, a capacity to get rid of the water, and keep them safe so they can enjoy their home," said Mariano.

No word on how much extra water the retention pond will hold. Commissioner Mariano said the county isn't done acquiring property throughout this neighborhood. In fact, he said that there are two voluntary sellers, and if those prices are reasonable, the county will proceed.