Page 10 - PGA Community News - December '24

Page 10, PGA C.A.N.! 2 Spaces December 2024
December 2024

Northern Notes

Know The Flow

By Katie Roundtree,
Director of Finance and
Administration, Northern
Palm Beach County
Improvement District
Flood control in Florida
is a shared responsibility
that provides maximum
benefit only when all
components (primary,
secondary and tertiary) are
designed and constructed to As a homeowner or property owner association official,
work together and are maintained in proper working order. you are a key player in the flood control process. Your
Florida is more complex than many states, where one The South Florida Water Management District operates knowledge and actions can greatly contribute to your
entity usually provides local and regional drainage for the the “primary” drainage system. In anticipation of heavy rains, community’s flood resilience. Here’s what you can do:
community. In Florida, some areas have no formal drainage floodgates may be opened, and water levels might be lowered 1. Familiarize yourself with your particular drainage
systems and are prone to routine flooding; others may be to accommodate direct rainfall and accept inflows from the system and how it fits into the overall South Florida
covered by several organizations or governments providing “secondary” systems. During and after heavy rains, excess drainage picture.
varying service levels. Depending on conditions, water water is routed through all available “primary” waterways to 2. Learn how the stormwater system works in your area and
may have to be routed through several interconnected, regional storage areas or coastal discharge points to relieve how to properly maintain the facilities under your responsibility.
though independent, conveyance systems –each must be flooding as quickly and safely as possible. 3. Understand your community’s irrigation needs. Turn
properly maintained and functioning – to provide flood What can YOU do to help? off your irrigation before a storm. Return to normal operating
protection for south Florida neighborhoods. As a resident or business owner, you play a crucial conditions after the storm. Remember, if the ground is saturated,
So, what path does stormwater typically follow from role in flood control. Your actions can significantly impact you may not have to irrigate for quite some time after the storm.
your neighborhood to its final destination? Here’s an your community’s resilience to flooding. Here’s what you Reporting the location and condition of any clogged
example. Five inches of rain falls in 24 hours over an can do: or damaged facilities is a crucial step in flood control. By
inland community. This rain follows a wet period, so 1. Ensure your neighborhood’s drainage grates, ditches, doing so, you are actively contributing to your community’s
groundwater levels are already high. According to most and swales are debris-free. flood resilience. Please make a note of important telephone
approved drainage designs, some water is temporarily 2. Remove loose items, including yard debris, from numbers and keep them handy for quick reporting.
stored in public recreational areas, yard swales and streets. your yard. Debris and litter can clog storm drains and cause NPDES tip: Your neighborhood drainage system is not
Drainage swale areas are sloped to catch water and filter flooding. a garbage disposal — don’t treat it like one. Encourage
out pollutants as water is absorbed into the ground. Some 3. Check your community retention pond or lake for residents to take responsibility and to not dump chemicals,
yards direct water to the community drainage system as obstructed pipes and contact the appropriate authority for fertilizer, paint, oil, etc., in inlets or pipes. Discourage
runoff, with very little water retained in the yard. The removal (this could be your HOA/POA, city, county, or local sweeping of lawn clippings and dirt into street drains
excess surface water slowly drains to community lakes or drainage district). and disposing of lawn clippings and other debris (wood,
on-site ponds via street and yard drainage grates, swales, 4. Find out who is responsible for drainage in your concrete blocks, Christmas trees, etc.) directly into retention
ditches or canals. Homeowner associations typically community. Visit SFWMD.gov/FloodControl. Note the lakes. Keep drainage facilities clear of vegetation, trash,
assume the maintenance and upkeep of community service area status under the search results. It may not be improperly and illegally discarded appliances, shopping
drainage facilities. Water then drains from the community serviced even if the location is within an agency’s jurisdiction. carts, tires, cars, garbage bags, etc.
or “tertiary” system through underground pipes to the
“secondary” system, which is mainly operated by the
Northern Palm Beach County Improvement District
(Northern) in this area. Cities and the county also maintain
“secondary” systems, depending on development plans.
The “secondary” drainage system is usually a network of
canals, structures, pumping stations and storage areas. These
systems can cover several hundred square miles and serve
many communities. In communities maintained by Northern,
stormwater systems are gravity-fed or pumped using
stormwater pump stations. Water moves through a series
of lakes and canals via weirs (fixed structures), operable
gates and pump stations. These systems sometimes move
water through multiple communities, so the “downstream”
effects must be considered when moving water from one
area to another. The stormwater systems discharge into
local canals managed by Northern or other municipalities.
Northern uses a telemetry system to monitor and remotely
open and close gates and pumps. Weather conditions and
water levels are monitored around the clock. Water levels
in the secondary drainage system can be lowered to allow
more water storage and minimize flooding. These systems
discharge water into the “primary” flood control system as
long as carrying capacity is available.

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