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Polk Government Offices will be closed Monday, Nov. 11 in observance of Veterans Day. There will be no residential waste collection services on Monday for customers of unincorporated Polk. Holiday collection schedule.

Lake Seward Flood Relief Plan

Published: October 24, 2024

Bartow, Fla. (Oct. 24, 2024) – Flooding along the edge of Lake Seward has severely damaged homes and prevented access to others. In coordination with the Southwest Florida Water Management District (SWFWMD), Polk County has put a plan in place to direct water away from Lake Seward to Banana Lake, ultimately flowing into Lake Hancock.

The Lake Seward Flood Relief Plan consists of the following:

  • Installation of piping through an existing easement on the northwest edge of Lake Seward to a connection point on Tillery Road.
  • Construction by experienced licensed contractors of temporary conveyance piping to pump water north along Tillery Road to its intersection with Clubhouse Road.
  • Additional piping and use of existing conveyance systems would then move that water to the county’s pond/holding basin near Elizabeth Place, just north of Clubhouse Road.
  • That water can then flow through a control structure northward into Banana Lake.
  • Ultimately, that water will drain through the Banana Lake system, under U.S. Highway 98 and into Lake Hancock.
  • Once water reaches Lake Hancock it becomes part of the larger volumes of the Lake and will ultimately flow through the P-11 control structure into Saddle Creek and beyond into the Peace River.

Pumping is expected to move water off Lake Seward and should provide relief to the residents who are currently flooded, or otherwise are unable to safely reach their homes.


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