PETERSBURG, Va. (WRIC) — It looks tranquil and peaceful right now, but public utility workers in Petersburg fear a local lake could cause major problems for a nearby neighborhood if we get enough rainfall over the next few days.
Public utility workers spent much of Thursday cleaning and dredging the Blackwater Swamp so neighboring Woodmere Lake can drain into it.
From the amount of rain the area saw on Tuesday alone, the lake is already steadily creeping on land, threatening dozens of homes and roads.
With the likely possibility of much more rain over the next several days, Petersburg Public Utilities General Manager Mike Mee fears the problem will only get worse.
“Well the issue is if we get a severe tropical storm and we get 8 to 10 to 12 inches of rain in one fell swoop, that volume of water the system is unable to handle at one time,” Mee said.
So, the race is on against the clock and Mother Nature.
“There’s an issue with spillways, with beaver dams and sediment built up over 30 years,” Mee added. “And there’s a lot of preventive maintenance activities that have not been done that need to be addressed.”
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