Flood Prevention & Awareness

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Malcolm Bruce
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1 Flood Prevention & Awareness Patrick A. Martin, P.E., Director of Engineering and Right-of-Way/District Engineer Boynton Beach Utilities Workshop on July 24, 2014

2 LWDD: Who We Are & What We Do Established in 1915 by the FL legislature for the purpose of settlement Provide flood protection and water supply for people and agriculture Operate and maintain approximately 500 miles of canals and rights-of-way 50 Lateral canals run west to east every half mile 5 Equalizer canals run north to south along SR-7, FL Turnpike, West of Military Trail and East of Congress Avenue 20 major control structures and numerous minor structures Review and permit all construction projects within the service area insuring strict drainage guidelines are followed

3 Shared Boundary with Boynton Beach Boundary of LWDD shown in green City of Boynton Beach shown in red hash tag

4 Stormwater Management Clean Water Act Federal legislation passed in 1972 Purpose of eliminating additional water pollution Ensures that surface waters meet standards necessary for human sports and recreation

5 Prior to the Clean Water Act Stormwater discharged at an unregulated rate No retention/detention of stormwater for quality and quantity purposes Flood Protection for the most part was via swales and local ponding

6 Example: Leisureville Example of a typical design for communities built prior to the passage of the Clean Water Act Flood control via streets which drain directly into the LWDD E-4 Canal This flow of stormwater is at an unregulated rate Leisureville Direct connection to E-4 Canal E-4 Canal

7 Leisureville at Street Level E-4 Canal Looking southwesterly, towards E-4 Canal at 909 SW 7 th Ave. 909 SW 7 th Ave Older pipe repaired with liner

8 Post Clean Water Act Stormwater detention discharge at regulated rate Developers required to build to new standards and include on-site detention by incorporating lakes and ponds Flood relief may be addressed by opening structures prior to or after storm events

9 Modern Design Parameters Todays Modern Subdivision: Roadway construction is based on a 3 year, 1 day design storm event Discharge and site perimeter construction is based on a 25 year, 3 day design storm event Finish floor construction (not including garage) is based on a 100 year, 3 day design storm event

10 It s Raining! What Should We Expect

11 5 to 6 Inches of Rain If 5 to 6 inches of rainfall is received in a 24 hour period Standing water in yards, swales and ditches Crowns of residential community road should remain dry and passable

12 7 to 9 Inches of Rain If 7 to 9 inches of rainfall is received in a 72 hour period Residential Community swales, roads, lawns and driveways will flood as designed Finished floors of homes should remain dry

13 15 to 23 Inches of Rain If 15 to 23 inches or more of rainfall is received in a 72 hour period Many houses and businesses may experience finished floor flooding

14 It s Raining! What Should We Do?

15 Flood Prevention is a 3-Tiered System Flood control in our area is a three-tiered system - Communities - LWDD - SFWMD Community discharge into LWDD canals LWDD discharges into SFWMD canals Finally SFWMD discharges to ocean outfalls Each entity must be prepared to capture and hold stormwater as well as coordinate discharges at appropriate times and safe rates Community LWDD SFWMD

16 Pre-storm Event: Communities Responsibilities: HOA/POA Drainage Committee Property Manager Formalize emergency plan Important contact information Locate of keys, maps & tools Annual inspection of community s drainage system Inlets/pipes Control structures Fixed Fixed metal plate Flashboard risers Operable wheel Landscaping Trees & shrubbery Swale areas Flooding debris: coconuts For more information & how to video visit our website

17 Encroachment Warning Challenges LWDD faces: Providing safe and welloperated drainage system requires clear access to canal rights-of-way Property enhancements such as trees, boat docks, fences, sheds, pools and decks may seriously hamper LWDD s ability to provide a safe and welloperating drainage system Fence and hedge encroachments make it difficult for vehicles and near impossible for emergency heavy equipment to access right-of-way

18 Pre-storm Event: LWDD Hurricane Watch: Inspection and prepare LWDD canal system for storm Contact is established with other agencies such as SFWMD, PBC EOC, local municipalities to collectively discuss Monitoring rainfall predictions Draw down of canal elevations Hurricane Warning: Check equipment, fuel supplies Assign staff roles Begin communication with public & may authorize communities to draw down lake elevations per the approved permit conditions Website updates Emergency phone line expanded Update recorded Storm-line daily Initiate blast

19 During Event: Communities Stay home and reschedule appointments Listen and follow emergency management instructions via the TV or radio Remember Offer support and stay calm Educate your neighbors prior to the event

20 During Event : LWDD LWDD Crews will not be deployed with sustained winds of 45 miles per hour Water table and canal elevations will have been lowered All major control structure gates will be open Web-site, Storm Line recording and blast may be available depending on status of electrical and phone lines

21 Post Event: Communities If you must go outside, do not drive or walk through flood water You cannot see where the road ends and a lake or canal begins Washouts and sinkholes Downed power lines Unsanitary water Remember that it is normal for flood waters to spill over lakes into swales and flood streets, yards and driveways making the appearance of one large water body Residents within the LWDD service boundary can call LWDD Emergency Line if there is water entering your home

22 Manhole Covers Warning Never open a manhole cover to drain street flooding In many cases the manhole ties into the utilities sewer system thus overloading the treatment plant s capacity Potential to cause serious flooding issue within the community

23 Post Event: LWDD Assessment team will be deployed as soon as it is safe to do so Repairs will be prioritized and crews will begin clearing canals and rights-of-way Office will be open and staffed to take calls Follow-up post event meetings with other agencies Internal post event analysis with LWDD staff to identify improvements

24 LWDD Future Enhancements Process of designing a telemetry monitoring system for major LWDD control structures Allowing for real-time monitoring and operations of structures from any location

25 Important Contact Information LWDD Office Storm Line Emergency Line LWDD Website Blast Contact us at:

26 Questions Flood Prevention and Awareness Workshop

Extreme Wet Weather in Brookfield. How to Keep Your Basement Dry During Heavy Rains and Floods

Extreme Wet Weather in Brookfield How to Keep Your Basement Dry During Heavy Rains and Floods Relating Stormwater Drainage to Sewer Backups Brookfield has two separate sewer systems Storm sewer system