QUENTIN ROUX / Staff

Part of the lake in question shows the drop in its level that local residents say is the lowest in history. City officials say the lake should fill up once again when dewatering is completed in the area to accommodate the Septic Tank Replacement Program.

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Residents in the Sheffield Sewer district are concerned about a large pond near their homes that is being drained of its water.

The man-made pond near the corner of Balmoral and Granada abuts three lot lines, and sits on property owned by Kenneth Metcalf – that is for sale.

Nearby residents reported that the large pond appears to be draining quickly ever since the dewatering for the sewer project began in the district about 10 days ago.

City officials said the dewatering process is only part of the reason for the shrinking water level. City environmental specialist Nancy Richie said it may also be due to a long dry season contributing to the lower water level.

“I’ve lived here 15 years with droughts and hurricanes, I’ve never, ever, ever seen the pond this low,” said Jeanne Siversen, a resident of Granada.

Residents are reporting concerns for the wildlife due to a possible change in salinity in addition to a four-foot drop in the pond’s water level.

Siversen said she was somewhat disappointed by the lack of a quick response from her first inquiries to city staff.

“They’re probably going to say it’s because I was against the sewers that my concerns don’t hold any water,” Siversen said.

However she said a subsequent e-mail to City Manager Steve Thompson was addressed quickly and Richie took action almost immediately.

Richie and another environmentalist have been measuring the pond’s level almost every day over the last week.

Siversen said she is still left wondering what can really be done.

“It’s not like they can stop the project … I feel like they’re just crossing their fingers. No one really knows what’s going to happen and by the time they do, I’m afraid it will be too late,” she said.

Siversen reported a decrease in visiting birds and three tarpon whose fins can be seen now because the water is so shallow.

“Every day a big blue heron, nearly as tall as I am, came to the pond for a meal. I haven’t seen him since the dewatering began. It’s probably just all the noise,” Siversen said, adding “I’m afraid we’ll have a fish kill. We’ve caught, fed and grown these fish, especially the three-foot long Tarpon.”

Residents say the pond is home not only to blue herons and tarpon but also to snook, tilapia, cichlids, grouper, turtles, blue crab, oscar, mullet and a small alligator. Most of the fish have been stocked by the residents over the last 16 years since the pond was dug. Other fish may have come through a tidal flow from Barfield Bay.

The residents in the neighborhood, which was once marked by a sign which read “The Sanctuary,” say they take pride in the area’s old Florida style and would like to preserve it.

In addition to fish and other aquatic life, Siversen said she observed a wide variety of birds including Ibis, egret, anhinga, cormorant, wood storks, and roseate Spoonbills.

Richie said she has talked to the residents in the Shefield sewer district neighborhood about this and other environmental concerns.

“I have a good relationship with them due to prior work with gopher tortoise monitoring ... Really nice folks over there and I’m trying to address their concerns,” Richie said.

Project manager James Miller of the Public Works Department also said the city is changing the pace of the dewatering in the area to minimize the effects on the pond.

In an e-mail response to Siversen, Miller wrote: “we also noticed the changing water level and are currently trying to gauge the rate of change at this time.”

He added that they are pumping out the minimum amount necessary to do the construction work on Balmoral and will do the same as the dewatering continues around the corner on Granada.

Unfortunately for the residents, the longer the dewatering takes the more expensive the dewatering process for their area will be.

The water level “has only varied a couple inches up and down depending on tides, and rain,” Miller wrote in an e-mail to the Eagle.

“The sewer project has no intent to impact the water level of the pond ... Over time the dewatering will reach equilibrium with the aquifer,” he added

Since the pond is privately owned, city monitoring of the water level did not begin until after the dewatering process started and salinity levels were not tested in advance to detect if there were changes in the brackish water.

Richie said that since Granada was built, the mangroves have been dying on the side of the street opposite the pond, signaling that the tidal flow to the pond from Barfield Bay may be minimal.

“Tidal influence to the pond remains intact, and should only be interrupted for a brief time when sewer is constructed beneath the tidal drain connection on Granada,” Miller said.

Richie said she agreed with Miller that once the dewatering is finished and the sewer is installed the water levels should return to normal.