STANDING WATER SINCE JUNE: Collier man asks county for help with his yard

Richard Dominicks lives in Collier County on Greenway Road. He says he has had standing water in his front yard since June and it has been worsened by tropical storm Debby.

"The water in the ditches on Greenway Road has not moved so the water in my yard has not moved," he said.

He says it makes it impossible to mow his lawn and attracts bugs to his yard. FOX4 reached out to Collier County to help Dominicks gain insight on why the swales near his home are having trouble draining.

It's response follows:

"As Tropical Storm (TS) Debby passed over our area the county’s stormwater infrastructure needed to be closed due to a tidal surge, after TS Debby passed out of our area, our Road, Bridge & Stormwater Maintenance Division team opened the stormwater system (weir gates) to discharge into the main ditches, canals, and channels. The system in the area around Greenway Road has multiple channels that discharge into the outfall system, and they are all open and working currently. Please be aware that during and after heavy rainfall and surge, water will be in yards and may not discharge, or percolate until the system catches up.


Southwest Florida is currently in the rainy season which normally lasts from late May through October each year. This past June had especially heavy rain and the recent TS Debby has added quite a bit more. Since most of our area is level, no hills, it takes some time for water to seep into the ground or disperse through the atmosphere, and/or travel from ditches along roadways into the canals and further disperse."

Dominicks says he has lived in his home since the 80s and he has not had water standing in his yard this long, even after Hurricane Irma.