‘This water is getting worse and worse’: Hogpen Creek homeowners concerned over sediment buildup

One homeowner says low tide sees his dock sitting in mud several feet away from the water.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — From a creek, to mud and back to a creek – depending on the time of day.

Neighbors along Hogpen Creek are concerned about the condition of the waterway that runs into the Intracoastal Waterway.

“Saw the beautiful backyard, the water access,” said Jake Jacobs while standing on his dock. “We knew as soon as we saw it, we had to live here.”

Jacobs says he saw manatees the day he closed on his house on Hogpen Creek four years ago, but he says they don’t come around much anymore.

“The water level is lower and lower,” said Jacobs. “They can’t access it. There’s been a definite detriment to the wildlife.”

At high tide, Jacobs says the creek is a few feet deep behind his house, but at low tide…

“This floating dock, it will be sitting in the mud,” said Jacobs. “You’ll see about four feet of dirt. We didn’t pay for a dirt trail behind our house.”

Jacobs says the issue is sediment build up, and he wants to see a study to prove where it’s coming from.

“It’s obvious this water is getting worse and worse from the point where it meets the Sandalwood Canal,” said Jacobs.

Jacobs feels if the sediment is coming from the Sandalwood Canal, a part of the stormwater drainage system, then the city of Jacksonville should shoulder the cost of dredging Hogpen Creek.

First Coast News reached out to a City of Jacksonville spokesperson, who shared the following statement: 

“The City of Jacksonville only performs dredge projects for access to city owned and/or operated boat ramps.  In this case, this water body only serves private residences and would not be dredged by the city.

The city did perform a small dredge project nearly 18 years ago immediately following the Hodges Blvd. / Sandalwood Canal project.  This was done preemptively in case any sediment had traveled downstream from the construction site.  However, the city is not responsible for any work nearby or changes to the natural water body of Hogpen Creek since then.”

“It’s a lot of dirt, a lot of trash running off the animals,” said Helen Chestnut, who lives along a different part of the creek.

Chestnut says she’s lived along Hogpen Creek for 40 years and doesn’t get to take many pictures of the wildlife these days.

She’d like to see something done about Sandalwood Canal’s impact, but she doesn’t want it to impact her taxes.

“I won’t be able to live here anymore,” said Chestnut. “I won’t be run off my property due to a tax hike.”

With one little one already and another on the way, Jacobs’s dream is that his kids will one day be able to swim in Hogpen Creek.

“The ultimate goal would be to be able to run off this dock and jump right in and not worry about getting stuck in the mud,” said Jacobs.

Jacobs is hoping city leaders will consider paying for a study to determine once and for all what’s causing all this build-up, and he’d like to see them incorporate that in the next budget.