
MIDDLEBURG, FL -- Debbie Brown and her family moved into their Middleburg home in 1997. They love the privacy and the quiet of their country home.
But now that peace and quiet has been shattered by an ongoing dispute over a county drainage network.
"It is very aggravating," says Brown.
A few years ago, Clay County installed a culvert drainage system on the county's right of way that has been directing the water flow to Brown's property.
"They have two drainage easements they can use which, for some reason, they choose to ignore," says Brown.
There are no drainage easements on her property, but the water flow from the culverts and the flow from a cross-drain pointing to her property tend to dump all of the water run-off on her land.
"They have overburdened my property; I have had washouts," says Brown.
Brown says she wants the county to direct the water flow to the drainage easements.
"I'd like them to correct this, but no one is doing anything," says Brown.
It appears that the county is trying to address her concerns. On Your Side spoke with Chuck Iley of the Clay County Public Works Department.
Iley says the cross-drain was installed back in the 70s when the road was built. As for the culverts, Iley says the county decided to install the system on its right of way instead of the drainage easements because it was more cost efficient.
He says the county will install a box to collect the water and ease the washouts or erosion and it will install dams upstream to ease the rate of the water flow.
He also said that the St. Johns Water Management District investigated the water flow and says where it collects near Brown's property is the natural water flow.
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Created: 4/21/2009 5:20:56 PM 



