Minor flooding only as Withlacoochee River reaches it's peak

HERNANDO COUNTY, Fla. - Paul Hettinger knows the Withlacoochee River well: He's in the middle of a 16-mile kayaking trip and says the high water is making things a little tricky.

"You sometimes lose sight of where the main channel is because it's so flooded. You find yourself running into fences and barbed wire, you know you are out of the channel," said Hettinger.

The National Weather Service issued a flood warning for the river for areas along the Hernando-Pasco line.

They say it's happening as rain from Tropical Storm Isaac works it's way west from the Green Swamp.

While minor flooding is forecasted for the next couple of days, authorities say those living near the river like Jackie Banks should take precautions.

"It's all one big huge massive water way," said Banks.

Banks lives along the Withlacoochee in Talisman Estates. Normally the wooded area outside her home is dry. It's a couple hundred yards from the river banks. But Monday morning it looked like a river of it's own.

"When it floods majorly then we personally don't get effected. The whole area breaks and we have to get out by canoe," said Banks.

On the river, the kayakers are using a GPS to make sure they don't end up in someone's backyard. But they say riding the quick moving current makes for a fun Labor day. "If you are moving by arm power, that's not all bad. We enjoy being fast," said Hettinger.

Late Monday afternoon, residents received some good news from the National Weather Service: the Withlacoochee reached it's highest peak. That's less than two inches above the flood stage and should be decreasing in a day or so.