Delray Beach, FL – Today, the Lake Worth Drainage District began work on a canal rehabilitation project adjacent to the L-42 Canal on Yamato Road, between Jog Road and Military Trail. In collaboration with the Broken Sound Master Association, the project includes removal of the aging ficus trees adjacent to the canal and the Broken Sound community, restoration of the canal bank, and replanting of an enhanced native vegetation buffer.
Recognizing the City of Boca Raton’s desire to preserve and enhance native vegetation, the Lake Worth Drainage District began coordinating with the Broken Sound Master Association and the City of Boca Raton in February 2019 to address the encroaching trees and vegetation on its L-42 Canal right-of-way adjacent to the community.
The existing ficus trees are not only a non-native species known for having poor wind tolerance, but most if not all are stressed, diseased or rotting, and require a significant amount of maintenance. Removal of the trees reduces future maintenance and decreases the risk of the trees falling into the canal channel and blocking stormwater drainage or falling into the neighborhood and damaging private property.
The project is scheduled to begin now in order to mitigate flood control risks and weather delays associated with Hurricane season and to afford the maximum time for new plantings to be installed and become established. The project is expected to be completed in Spring 2020.
The Broken Sound Master Association engaged landscape architect Don Murakami to design an ideal landscape plan along the canal bank that would retain the aesthetic appeal of the community.
District Executive Director Tommy Strowd stated “This project is a model of public and private entities working together to enhance services for our mutual customers. It improves flood control for Broken Sound and the surrounding communities while preserving and promoting beautiful, native vegetation within the City of Boca Raton.”
In order to complete the restoration process as quickly as possible, the project will be completed in three phases. First, in a coordinated effort the District will remove existing trees and vegetation from the canal right-of-way and Broken Sound Master Association will remove the remaining root systems that may be entangled with the neighborhood’s perimeter wall. Second, the District will backfill and rebuild the canal bank. Finally, Broken Sound will replace the landscape buffer with Florida native plants and trees outside the critical maintenance area for the canal.
The Lake Worth Drainage District’s canal rehabilitation program was initiated in 2015 to mitigate flood control risks due to hurricanes and tropical events. Vegetative and structural encroachments located on the District’s canal rights-of-way can create obstructions to water flow during heavy rainfall events and hinder the District’s ability to properly maintain the canals for flood control. To date, the District has cleared nearly 100 miles of non-native vegetation from its canal banks.
For more information on this project and the District’s canal rehabilitation program, visit www.lwdd.net/canal-maintenance/canal-rehabilitation.
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Founded in 1915, the Lake Worth Drainage District is an independent special district that manages water resources and provides flood control for approximately 800,000 residents and more than 10,000 acres of agricultural land in southeastern Palm Beach County.
LWDD’s Mowing Program
/in News, O & MThe Lake Worth Drainage District’s (LWDD) personnel perform daily maintenance tasks to ensure the 1,000 miles of canal rights-of-way are functioning as designed. One of these tasks is the quarterly mowing of canal banks and rights-of-way. The quarterly mowing rotation provides for operational access to canals for emergency response and regular maintenance with minimal cost to taxpayers.
Mowing crews are divided into two groups. Each group utilizes special equipment. Flat-mowers maintain the top of the canal bank, while arm-mowers are used to maintain the side slope of the canals. Due to scheduling and equipment utilization, it is not unusual for the side slope of the canal to be mowed several weeks after the top of bank was addressed. LWDD mowing crews take care to avoid damaging private property located within the right-of-way. However, irrigation lines, sprinkler heads, and other items located within the LWDD’s rights-of-way are encroachments. Whether the encroachment is authorized or not, it is placed there at the owner’s risk and damages from LWDD maintenance operations will not be reimbursed.
The quarterly mowing rotation is frequent enough to meet LWDD’s operational needs while not burdening all the taxpayers within its boundary to pay for enhanced maintenance for the few residents living adjacent to the canals. Unlike a landscape company hired to care for the aesthetic look of your lawn, LWDD’s goal is to provide the access it needs for flood control operations. LWDD maintenance activities do not provide fertilization or irrigation of the vegetation, nor will LWDD crews trim around fence lines or guardrails. Some residential communities, with LWDD’s permission, may choose to maintain the right-of-way at their cost in order to provide the community with the higher level of maintenance they desire.
Additionally, some areas may be inaccessible to equipment and crews. Due to personnel safety, these areas may not be maintained regularly or may be maintained with the application of herbicides. You can view canal bank mowing/spraying activities on LWDD’s Mapping Portal (link: http://lwdd.maps.arcgis.com/home/index.html).
LWDD Partners with Broken Sound for Enhanced Flood Control
/in NewsDelray Beach, FL – Today, the Lake Worth Drainage District began work on a canal rehabilitation project adjacent to the L-42 Canal on Yamato Road, between Jog Road and Military Trail. In collaboration with the Broken Sound Master Association, the project includes removal of the aging ficus trees adjacent to the canal and the Broken Sound community, restoration of the canal bank, and replanting of an enhanced native vegetation buffer.
Recognizing the City of Boca Raton’s desire to preserve and enhance native vegetation, the Lake Worth Drainage District began coordinating with the Broken Sound Master Association and the City of Boca Raton in February 2019 to address the encroaching trees and vegetation on its L-42 Canal right-of-way adjacent to the community.
The existing ficus trees are not only a non-native species known for having poor wind tolerance, but most if not all are stressed, diseased or rotting, and require a significant amount of maintenance. Removal of the trees reduces future maintenance and decreases the risk of the trees falling into the canal channel and blocking stormwater drainage or falling into the neighborhood and damaging private property.
The project is scheduled to begin now in order to mitigate flood control risks and weather delays associated with Hurricane season and to afford the maximum time for new plantings to be installed and become established. The project is expected to be completed in Spring 2020.
The Broken Sound Master Association engaged landscape architect Don Murakami to design an ideal landscape plan along the canal bank that would retain the aesthetic appeal of the community.
District Executive Director Tommy Strowd stated “This project is a model of public and private entities working together to enhance services for our mutual customers. It improves flood control for Broken Sound and the surrounding communities while preserving and promoting beautiful, native vegetation within the City of Boca Raton.”
In order to complete the restoration process as quickly as possible, the project will be completed in three phases. First, in a coordinated effort the District will remove existing trees and vegetation from the canal right-of-way and Broken Sound Master Association will remove the remaining root systems that may be entangled with the neighborhood’s perimeter wall. Second, the District will backfill and rebuild the canal bank. Finally, Broken Sound will replace the landscape buffer with Florida native plants and trees outside the critical maintenance area for the canal.
The Lake Worth Drainage District’s canal rehabilitation program was initiated in 2015 to mitigate flood control risks due to hurricanes and tropical events. Vegetative and structural encroachments located on the District’s canal rights-of-way can create obstructions to water flow during heavy rainfall events and hinder the District’s ability to properly maintain the canals for flood control. To date, the District has cleared nearly 100 miles of non-native vegetation from its canal banks.
For more information on this project and the District’s canal rehabilitation program, visit www.lwdd.net/canal-maintenance/canal-rehabilitation.
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Founded in 1915, the Lake Worth Drainage District is an independent special district that manages water resources and provides flood control for approximately 800,000 residents and more than 10,000 acres of agricultural land in southeastern Palm Beach County.
Drainage Canals Are Not Dump Sites
/in News, O & MDumping, throwing, discarding, placing, depositing or disposing of vegetative debris or other trash in the Lake Worth Drainage District (LWDD) canals or along the rights-of-way is illegal. Under the “Florida Litter Law” (Link: Florida Statute 403.413), dumping material on public or private property is punishable by fine and potential jail time. For example, dumping in excess of 15 pounds, but less than 500 pounds for noncommercial purposes is a first-degree misdemeanor and is punishable up to a $1,000 fine and imprisonment of one year. As the weight and volume of the material increases so do the penalties.
Within LWDD’s service area, illegally dumped items are largely non-hazardous solid wastes that are inconvenient or costly to dispose of properly. Typical litter items include household trash, furniture, appliances, tires, and vegetative debris from lawn maintenance and tree trimming. Dumping offenders most often include residents, construction and landscape contractors, waste removers and automobile and tire repair shops.
Some of the negative effects of illegal dumping can impact public safety, the surrounding environment, and the local economy. For example, using a drainage canal as a dump site can reduce the flood control capacity of the canal and threaten the health and safety of residents. Additionally, trash dumped on the canal right-of-way can impede access needed for regular maintenance or emergency response during severe weather. While landfills are designed to prevent waste from leaching into the ground or adjacent waterbody, this is not true for illegal dumping which can harm local areas. Finally, dumping is an eyesore that negatively affects surrounding property values and governments must redirect resources to clean-up materials and provide pollution mediation.
If you witness an illegal dumping incident in progress, call your local law enforcement agency or 911. Catching dumpers in the act is the best way for police to apprehend dumpers and deter future violations. Never confront someone who is dumping. Instead, try to get the vehicle license number or description of the vehicle used to commit the crime. Most importantly, share this information with your neighbors and encourage them to always dispose of trash properly. For more information on the proper disposal of trash visit Palm Beach County Solid Waste website. (Link: www.swa.org/408/For-Residents).
Is It A Lake or Pond?
/in NewsIt may surprise some residents within the Lake Worth Drainage District (LWDD) boundary to learn that the waterbody that is often referred to as the community lake is, in fact, a stormwater management pond. Although stormwater management ponds are often mistaken for lakes, they are very different. Lakes are naturally formed waterbodies whereas stormwater ponds are man-made and have a distinctive and important role in managing surface water quality and quantity.
A stormwater management pond is an engineered structure built to gather surface water runoff (rainfall). The pond temporarily stores water and then releases it at a controlled rate. Through a combination of landscape and structural features, stormwater management ponds allow sediment and contaminants to settle out of runoff water before it is released into drainage canals. Stormwater ponds also hold excess water during large storms thus protecting neighborhoods from flooding. Additionally, stormwater ponds are constructed to be an attractive feature for the community.
The goal of a stormwater pond is to mimic a natural lake, but this requires active maintenance by the community. Being a good steward of your pond means learning how to keep the pond healthy, functional and attractive. Residents can follow these general housekeeping rules for stormwater pond maintenance:
Many commercial pond management companies can evaluate your community’s stormwater pond and offer suggestions for improvements. For more information about community flood control and stormwater pollution, visit LWDD’s website. (Link: www.lwdd.net)
Motorized Vehicles Along the Canals
/in NewsThe Lake Worth Drainage District (LWDD) canal rights-of-way may appear to be inviting areas for recreational use, but these areas are not designated as pedestrian or riding trails. The function of the LWDD’s canal system and bordering land is vital to public safety because it is part of the flood control system that provides drainage and water supply for all residents within our boundary. Any disruption to these areas can cause community-wide issues.
It is the policy of the District to restrict any uses or access of its rights-of-way which may adversely impact our ability to perform mission-critical flood control activities. These prohibited uses include, but are not limited to, unauthorized access of Off-Road Vehicles, like ATVs, golf carts and dirt bikes. In Palm Beach County, Off-Road Vehicles may only be operated on designated trails or private property you own or have permission to be on.
To address unauthorized use of the canal rights-of-way, LWDD may permit the installation of access gates or ‘No Trespassing’ signs at the intersections of roadways and drainage canals. The public and adjacent landowners may report trespassing on the rights-of-way to the Palm Beach County Sherriff’s Office. Trespassers will be warned and directed to vacate LWDD’s property. The Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office has published a brochure regarding the use of Off-Road Vehicles. The public can download a copy at www.pbso.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/Off_Road_Vehicle_Information.pdf.