Martin County flooding leaves cattle farmers struggling, residents demanding solutions
By Rachael Perry
Click here for updates on this story
STUART, Florida (WPBF) — Floodwaters continue to inundate properties in Martin County, leaving cattle farmers struggling to care for their animals and residents concerned about how much longer the water will remain.
Residents in the Trailside community say water from neighboring properties is flowing into their drainage system, causing widespread flooding.
Flooding threatens cattle, farm operations
Hungryland Farms normally operates a 20-acre rotational grazing system for its Florida Cracker cattle. The owner, Melissa, said much of the pasture is now underwater, forcing the animals onto the farm’s elevated driveway.
“We’re starting to lose big sections of the driveway. We have them concentrated up the house pad, but if we lose too much more, we’re just going to have to figure out a way to evacuate them somewhere,” she said.
Some cattle have struggled to navigate the water, and Melissa said the farm is concerned about losing access to its property as flooding continues.
For now, the farm is bringing in hay and hay cubes to keep the cattle on their regular diet while monitoring potential health risks from floodwaters.
“We’re more just concerned with the health and safety of our cattle,” Melissa said.
Melissa said the farm has an emergency contact with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service if the animals face imminent danger.
“We don’t know how long we’re going to be here,” she said.
HOA says solution is unclear
Kyla Shay, president of the Trailside Homeowners Association, said the community’s drainage system is designed to handle water from its 41 lots and designated neighboring properties.
However, Shay said water from outside that system is now flowing through county-owned land and other neighboring properties before reaching the community’s southern canal.
“We can handle ours. We can’t handle theirs,” Shay said.
The flooding has also affected neighboring pastures and reached areas near Bridge Road and an electrical substation, according to Shay.
She said some electrical transformers are partially underwater, septic systems are overwhelmed and residents have been warned their well water could be compromised.
“The health department issued warnings this morning to me that our water wells could be compromised because of bacteria, because of the standing water,” Shay said.
Since their septic systems are submerged, Shay said homeowners have been unable to shower or do laundry.
County says repairs must wait
WPBF 25 News reached out to Martin County about their concerns and learned the county recently acquired approximately 315 acres of land in the area, known as the Elise J. property.
A county spokesperson said establishing access has been their immediate priority so staff can assess conditions and respond.
The county said it is working with the Hobe-St. Lucie Conservancy District to address a breach affecting drainage into its irrigation canal and that the agencies jointly determined repairs should wait until water levels recede.
The county said current conditions make hauling and placing sand unsafe and potentially damaging to the levee. Material could also wash into the canal before crews establish a stable repair.
“County staff will continue to monitor water levels and site conditions in close coordination with the Hobe-St. Lucie Conservancy District,” a county spokesperson said.
The county said it will move forward with repairs when conditions allow safe work without compromising the levee. It is also evaluating longer-term options to improve outflow and reduce the risk of flooding happening again.
Residents want a long-term solution Shay said the homeowners association has been working with water engineers and other experts to understand how long the flooding could last.
“It’s probably going to be late January, February before we can see a break, and that’s assuming that the south canal wall does not collapse and immediately dump all the water on us,” she said.
Melissa said the farm’s drainage system normally provides room for water to collect during the rainy season, but the amount coming from outside the property has overwhelmed it.
“We have a very extensive drainage system, but it’s just not equipped to handle this amount of water,” Melissa said.
Both women said they want neighboring properties and the agencies responsible for drainage to address the problem.
For now, Martin County said it will continue monitoring conditions and coordinating with the conservancy district before attempting repairs.
Meanwhile, Melissa said the farm is focused on keeping its cattle safe as water continues to surround the property.
Please note: This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate and does not contain original CNN reporting. This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.