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Apopka leaders approve plan to address ongoing flooding on Clear Water Lake

APOPKA, Fla. — A solution and an agreement have been made on who will pay for emergency pumping of Clear Water Lake in Apopka after an ongoing flooding issue.

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A newly approved plan by city commissioners includes pumping water out of the lake and using it as reclaimed water in other developments.

It’s a discussion that has been in the works for months, but no one could agree on who would cover the costs until now.

The city will pay to bring in the pumps and equipment needed. Over time, it will be reimbursed through reclaimed water and irrigation bills that neighbors are already paying.

READ: Apopka residents fed up with flooding that’s soaked their neighborhood for 2 months

Clear Lake Landings HOA President Brett Wilkerson said the city could also benefit from this plan.

“The water that’s currently coming into our community will no longer come into our community, which will create a surplus,” he said, “which means that you can serve additional new communities with that same water and continue to make money from them.”

City officials said sinkholes could be a problem that would likely only happen if water is drained too quickly. At that point, the neighborhood would be added back to the city’s reclaimed water system.

READ: Apopka leaders discuss ways to help residents struggling with storm flooding

Though it doesn’t solve all the issues, it will move the water out of the neighborhood, which a lot of residents said make them happy.

The lake has been flooding since before Hurricanes Ian and Nicole last fall.

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Adam Poulisse, WFTV.com

Adam Poulisse joined WFTV in November 2019.