Published May 8, 2003 BY Robert Sargent Jr. OXFORD -- Residents in a section of The Villages are paying for repairs to a large retention pond emptied by the latest of several sinkholes. The retirement community is installing a thick plastic liner -- aiming to prevent another gaping hole at the pond in northeast Sumter County. The fix is required by the Southwest Florida Water Management District, which has called sinkholes in retention ponds a potential threat to public health and safety. Work is expected to wrap up by the end
of the month.
Rainwater draining through the soil can erode the limestone, which eventually gives way to the heavy soil above and creates sinkholes. Large retention ponds can worsen the problem, with even more water and weight on the surface. Retention ponds collect stormwater runoff from streets and lawns, which can add oil, pesticides and other pollution. Developers often are required to line ponds with heavy clay or plastic liners to prevent the pollution from flushing into the underground aquifer. The community has used concrete and clay for years to fill in holes that have opened up. Water officials say that was not effective for Lago Bonito. They suggested The Villages install the synthetic liner as a more permanent fix. The Villages has had more than 30 sinkholes in the past several years, including several that emptied retention ponds. |
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