Drainage issues plaguing Deerfield

DEERFIELD — New home construction here is dumping mud and water on residents.

The construction of about a dozen new homes is being blamed for unprecedented flooding and drainage issues. 

Several Deerfield residents spoke to the Board of Supervisors on Monday asking for help. They said that when it rains, they see more water than ever coming into their yards. 

Deerfield resident Ron Gaines told supervisors that the silt fences used for the new houses being constructed called Deerfield Club Estates “aren’t holding” and red clay is flowing down throughout part of the neighborhood. 

There are seven houses under construction now there by D.R. Horton, the national company planning to build over 300 houses in the proposed Woodgate subdivision across from Deerfield.

Regina Edwards said the drainage issues have gotten so bad in the neighborhood that they have culverts collapsing and sinkholes being created. She said one resident stepped into a sinkhole and broke her foot. 

“It’s not isolated to three to four streets I’ve noted,” she told supervisors. “It’s the entire neighborhood.”

She added that the ditches were clogged and needed to be cleaned out. 

Lee Puckett said his house is across from the new construction and he’s had a couple inched of dirt built up to his backyard now, adding that when it rains his yard turns into a lake. 

Ken Ray pointed to the color of the water being red, noting that all the red clay brought in for the foundation work is spreading throughout the neighborhood. He said he’s been living in Deerfield since 2000 and “we’ve never had this kind of drainage problem.”

“Every time it rains it goes into my neighbor’s yard and into my other neighbor’s yard,” he said. “It’s getting worse and worse.”

Gaines said he spoke to County Engineer Tim Bryan about the issue and was told that before a certificate of occupancy would be issued, the drainage would have to be addressed. 

Bryan told supervisors that when the new houses are completed, and the grass is put down, that should eliminate the coloring in the water. 

“The silt fences aren’t going to filter out all the color,” he said. 

District 4 Supervisor Karl Banks told Bryan he needed to investigate what is causing the drainage issues in the neighborhood if it’s the worst it’s been in over 20 years. 

“We need to take a look at all of the drainage at Deerfield and see what is causing the change,” Banks said. 

Bryan said the change was caused by the new houses because that area used to be a flat field. 

“Now, there’s mounds if you will — house beds— that’s changed the flow of water,” Bryan said. “What was a flat area now has a bunch of humps in it.”

Bryan said that they will ensure that when the construction is completed the developers will do a final grading to mitigate as best as possible. 

Regarding the sinkholes, District 5 Supervisor Paul Griffin told Bryan that the county budgeted money for sinkhole repair and to investigate the Deerfield sinkholes and prioritize by need.