By: Philippe Maillard
Buckingham, also known as Twelve Mile Creek or Orange River, was settled by people of British ancestry who referred to their community as Buckingham after Buckingham Palace in England. It is an unincorporated community with the Orange River cutting through the area. Orange River used to be named “12 Miles Creek” until it was dredged in 1902. Since the community doesn’t have a Municipal Services Improvement District, we depend on the County (Department of Natural Resources), Army Corps, Lehigh Acres Municipal Services Improvement District, and South Florida Water Management.
Unfortunately, all these entities have poor intercommunication; no one is in charge, and no specific entity is liable for mismanagement. The combined effects of this communication failure have resulted in significant flooding in Northwest Buckingham.
Another contributor to our flooding occurs when construction entities do not use the appropriate fill for water flow. Myakka Fine, Boca Fine, and Malabar Fine Sand should be used instead of the clay or limestone collected while digging the artificial pond. However, our county or federal agencies do not mandate this, which has resulted in a major flood in Northeast Buckingham.
ORANGE RIVER
HICKEY CREEK
BEDMAN CREEK
The recent developments along State Road 80 that are within the Density Reduction/Groundwater Resource area are upstream of Buckingham, where that aquifer recharges; there has been a steady decline in the aquifer levels.
L -1968 – 263807081430301 GROUNDWATER LEVEL
Lee County officials may believe that requiring residents to hook up to sewer and water is the remedy for the aquifer’s decline since LEE COUNTY ORDINANCE NO. 24-10 LPA stated that any new project, including a single-family home, would have to comply with the requirements of the Land Development Code; “However, just based on the density that is permitted within the Buckingham Rural Community Preserve (at one unit per acre) they would not meet that threshold of having to connect. The threshold to connect to water is 2.5 units an acre. I believe it is the same for sewer service”. Mr Phil Gillogly (Natural Resources)
So, it is very important for us to preserve our waterways, and hopefully, we can work together to improve our community.
