Withlacoochee River Hits Highest Levels Since 1960

Before Hurricane Milton arrived last week, Cindy Pruiett was busy filling sandbags in Ridge Manor. She moved to the area from Georgia about a year ago and lives a block from the river. She had not evacuated because she said she couldn’t afford to leave, and everywhere she checked was fully booked. She said she was preparing for the storm by praying and filling sandbags.

Krystee Van Den Bosch, a utility forester for Withlacoochee River Electric, who lives two streets over from the Cypress Lakes Preserve, said that she has noticed that the river has become a lot higher this year.
“We’ve just been keeping an eye on it,” she said.

Bosch prepared for the storm by stocking up on the necessary provisions, making sure she had a source of electricity if the power goes out and filling up bottles of water in case their water is contaminated by the storm.

But there is only so much preparation you can do for a river that has reached its highest flood levels since 1960. That year, Florida was hit with several storms, including Hurricane Donna.

The Withlacoochee River is a 157-mile stream that originates in the Green Swamp in Pasco County and flows north to the Gulf of Mexico at Yankeetown. It is one of two rivers in Florida that run northward. The upper Withlacoochee River’s flow primarily depends on surface water inputs such as rainwater, while farther downstream, the river is fed by groundwater.

Mark Fulkerson, chief professional engineer for Southwest Florida Water Management District, said the entire Withlacoochee River has been high due to the large amount of rainfall it received during the wet season. The swamps, creeks, and wetlands in the Green Swamp were already inundated, so heavy rain from Hurricane Milton has caused the Withlacoochee River downstream to rise significantly. The Green Swamp received nearly 16 inches of rainfall during Milton.

Southwest Florida Water Management District monitors the river at several different points along the river. Some locations include the Withlacoochee River at US 41 in Dunnellon, the Rainbow River, the Withlacoochee River in Inverness, the Withlacoochee River at Croom Rital and the Withlacoochee River at Trilby.

As of Tuesday, Oct. 15, the Withlacoochee River is at 19.1 feet at the Trilby gauge in Hernando County, just north of the Hernando-Pasco county line. It is expected to crest at 19.3 feet on Oct. 16 and remain there until Thursday. It will remain over major flood stage of 16.5 feet through the weekend.

According to the Office of Water Predictions, when the river reaches 12 feet, flooding begins at Lacoochee, Talisman Estates, Riverdale, and River Heights Estates. Then, at 14.2 feet, River Road, east of the river, is flooded. When water levels approach 15.3 feet, Riverdale trailers are flooded, and at 15.6 feet, water is two to three feet over the bridge at Clay Sink Road and State Road 575. At 19.2 feet, water approaches the U.S. Route 301 bridge roadbed.

With the river at 19.1 feet, the Florida Department of Transportation closed US 301 southbound at SR 50 and US 301 northbound at SR 575/Trilby Road on Tuesday due to the Withlacoochee River flooding at US 301 in Trilby.

The Withlacoochee River rose to 17.67 feet after Hurricane Irma in 2017. Before that, the river had not reached over 15 feet since 2004, when four hurricanes hit Florida in six weeks, causing the river to rise to 16.55 feet. The highest the river has ever been was 20.38 feet in June of 1934.

The Hernando County Sheriff’s Office, Hernando County Fire Rescue and Florida Highway Patrol have had to make several rescues in the flooded neighborhoods and the county built an emergency access road to allow residents to evacuate the River Heights Subdivision. The temporary road utilizes a portion of the Withlacoochee State Trail to connect Kettering Road to a property on Oakfield Circle in the River Heights subdivision.

A resource center opened at Ridge Manor Community Park on Tuesday, located at 34030 Ridge Manor Blvd, Ridge Manor, FL 33523. It will be open daily from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., providing drive-through service for basic recovery supplies and hot meals daily from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m., supplied by American Red Cross.

The resource center also has a comfort station equipped with showers, laundry facilities, free Wi-Fi, and charging stations, similar to the one set up in Hernando Beach following Hurricane Helene.

Donations are not being accepted at the resource center and community members are encouraged to contact local non-profits if they’d like to donate supplies.

Krystee Van Den Bosch said she thinks that the hurricane will impact the community by bringing people together.

“People come together, you know, they put aside everything else, and they go into that survival mode, and they try to do what they can for their neighbors and the greater good, and so it’ll band us together.”
Just one example of that was over at Littles Vittles, a local restaurant on Jefferson Street run by the Little family. Like many in Brooksville, they did not have electricity immediately after the storm, but they cooked free meals on a gas stove and family and friends came to help. They ended up feeding 50-60 people just for breakfast on Saturday. The Littles also run a 501c3, which they support through the restaurant.
“The more we send out, the more God gives us back,” said Jeffery Little, who runs the restaurant and 501c3 with his wife, Renee.

Julie B. Maglio contributed to this report.