Future project to further protect fire station No. 2
By Kyle LoJacono
Heavy rain June 3 had Zephyrhills fire department stacking sandbags and fire hoses in front of fire rescue station No. 2 next to city hall less than two months after the facility reopened.
Station No. 2 was closed for more than 800 days from Jan. 23, 2008 to April 15, 2010 because of flood damage from previous inclement weather. No destruction was done to the station during the recent storm and future improvements to the retention pond west of the building will help reduce the flooding risk in the future.
“The new project will deepen the pond to let more water stay there until the pump can get rid of it,” said Zephyrhills city manager Steve Spina. “We opened up biddings (June) 21 for the project and will award it June 28.”
Estimations on how much the project would cost were not available by press time.
“I’ve been the fire chief for Zephyrhills for almost four years and the flooding has been an ongoing problem,” said city fire chief Keith Williams. “From what I’ve heard it’s always been a problem.”
Public works director Rick Moore said the city already replaced the pump in the pond, which sends the water to Zephyr Lake.
“The area around the station historically floods, especially during intense storms like we had (June 3),” Moore said. “We got 4 to 5 inches of rain in 45 minutes and the pump can’t handle that much water in that short a period of time.”
Moore explained flooding is worse when a modest amount of rain, such as 4 to 5 inches, falls in a short period of time than tens of inches falling throughout a day because the water has no place to go.
Spina said the Southwest Florida Water Management District will not allow a larger pump to be installed for environmental reasons.
Station No. 2 is located on the corner of Seventh Street and Sixth Avenue. The flooding was so bad that both streets were closed around the station to protect the public and the facility.
“When people drive through a flooded street it causes a wake like a boat does,” Moore said. “That pushes more water right up to the doors of the station. Also there’s a dip in the road, which could cause cars driving through to be flooded and stall out in the road. The public works department closed the street and others around town that day.”
Other areas of the city that flood regularly include: 20th Street from Sixth to Eighth Avenue, Fourth Avenue from US 301 to Fourth Street and on First Street near West Zephyrhills Elementary School, according to Moore.
“From what I’ve seen the flooding usually isn’t a problem until people start driving on the streets,” Williams said. “That makes the water lap up onto the building…Closing the roads is out of my responsibility. Only public works can do that. We just have to do what we can to protect the station with the bags and hoses when bad storms come.”
The downtown facility was the original fire station in Zephyrhills and opened in 1960, according to Williams.
When the fire station reopened in April, new tile flooring and water resistant drywall were installed to prevent mold from forming if water gets into the building. The improvements cost around $130,000, according to Spina.
During that time the personnel and equipment were stationed at the World War II Barracks Museum at Zephyrhills Municipal Airport. Williams, whose office is at fire station No. 1 on Dairy Road, said he does not want to see firefighters put out of the station again because of flood damage.
“We’re basically in a bowl down here and we can’t change that,” Spina said. “There was flooding all over town that day and we closed several roads because of it. That happens a couple times each year. I think once the work on the retention pond is done that will solve a lot of the problems.”
