VOLUSIA COUNT, Fla. — Just eight days into hurricane season, residents in part of Daytona Beach say they are already worried about flooding near the Nova Canal.
The canal runs through Port Orange, Holly Hill and Daytona Beach and is one of the waterways connected to flooding concerns in Daytona Beach’s Midtown area.
The canal is maintained by the Florida Department of Transportation. Right now, large sections are covered with thick vegetation, which residents worry could affect how water moves during heavy rain.
“It was all in the street like we had a hurricane,” said Patricia Singleton, who lives in the area.
Two weeks ago, Daytona Beach leaders told Channel 9 crews were clearing storm drains and doing other stormwater infrastructure maintenance.
But Singleton said that work will only go so far if the state does not also maintain the canal.
“If they’re not doing their job, which they’re not doing their job, they need to get on the ball and do it,” Singleton said.
The concern is not new.
A recent Army Corps of Engineers study looked at a two-square-mile area of Midtown that is home to about 8,000 people. The study says the area’s bowl-shaped topography contributes to flooding and that the Nova Canal can fill and spill water into the area of concern during heavy rain.
Keeping the canal clear will not stop flooding during a major storm, especially in a low-lying area, but residents said it could help water drain faster and give people more time.
Channel 9 took residents’ concerns to FDOT and asked for a more detailed maintenance schedule, along with an explanation of why the work had not already started.
FDOT said the canal is impacted by flooding rather than being the direct cause of it. The agency also said it maintains the canal primarily to keep it visually appealing and that vegetation would not have a significant impact on flooding during a hurricane.
FDOT said crews are continuing maintenance activities in the Nova Canal and are scheduled to remove silt, dead vegetation and underbrush. The agency said it will continue to monitor the canal and adjust the scheduled frequency of maintenance as needed.
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