Sign at Weaver Canal

The Weaver Family

/in
MA Weaver

M.A. Weaver

For 75 years the Weaver name was synonymous with leadership at the Lake Worth Drainage District (LWDD) and the City of Boynton Beach. In the early years of the LWDD, patriarch M. A. Weaver worked on the original field crew that surveyed the canal system. From a young man, Mr. Weaver was familiar with the region and the valuable role LWDD would play in the development of south Florida. He was elected to the LWDD Board of Supervisors in 1932 and served on the Board for 28 consecutive years.

When asked to take his father’s, M.A. Weaver’s seat on LWDD’s Board, C. Stanley Weaver agreed without hesitation. The 1960 LWDD meeting minutes record Weaver saying, “The work of this District was very important to my father. I am honored to follow in his footsteps.” For the next 47 years, C. Stanley Weaver occupied that seat. Upon his retirement from the Board of Supervisors in September of 2007, he was honored for his service with the renaming of the Boynton Canal to the C. Stanley Weaver Canal.

C. Stanley Weaver

C. Stanley Weaver

Throughout his life, Stanley Weaver was a true public servant. He was elected to the Boynton Beach City Commission from 1951 to 1956 and served 26 years on the board of the First Bank and Trust of Boynton Beach. In addition to their public service, the Weaver family owned and operated a successful dairy farm located on Military Trail in Boynton Beach as well as the Cypress Creek Country Club.

Many men and women can be credited for the success and development of this area. But the legacy of the Weaver Family, and specifically C. Stanley Weaver will live on in this community for many years to come.

Operable Control Structure

Operable & Non-Operable Structures

/in ,

In coordination with the South Florida Water Management District permit, the Lake Worth Drainage District (LWDD) allows two types of discharge control structures in residential communities and commercial properties – Operable and Non-Operable. The labels Operable and Non-Operable do not pertain to the structure’s ability to provide flood protection, but rather identify the type of structure and the way it is designed to function.

Bleed Down Orifice graphic

Figure 1. Discharge Control Structure

Non-Operable Structures, also known as ‘passive structures’, typically have an overflow weir or a triangular “bleed down” orifice installed at the stormwater pond’s designed water-control elevation. These overflow orifices allow the gravity flow of water through the structure and into drainage canals until the pond water rests at the designed water-control elevation. Given its passive nature, water will flow through the structure virtually any time there is rainfall except during very dry conditions when pond levels are lower than the water-control elevation.

So, why are there Operable Structures? A series of normal rain events can sometimes raise the level of the stormwater pond faster than the Non-Operable Structure can remove the water. The Operable Structure includes the passive flow described above, as well as a vertical slide-gate with an operating mechanism (usually a hand-wheel) that can be manually opened or closed to control the rate of water flow from the pond to drainage canals. The Operable Structure can be opened to manually lower the pond elevation after a rain event or before major weather systems like tropical storms or hurricanes.

It is important to note that the Operable Structure can only be opened with permission from LWDD. Sometimes that permission is granted at the request of an individual community or business. However, more often LWDD will give blanket permission to all communities and businesses based on forecasted weather conditions. In those situations, LWDD will provide notification by email and give a specific time to operate the Operable Structure. Communities and businesses can register designated representatives to receive these notification emails at https://lwddnet.wpengine.com/property-managers-hoa.

LWDD is the only drainage district in the State of Florida that allows Operable Structures.  It requires close coordination with local and regional authorities, but we believe it provides flood control benefits to the residents living within the LWDD boundaries.

Graphic of Turkey

Don’t Be A Turkey

/in ,

Graphic of TurkeyFried turkeys are a Thanksgiving treat, but the mess from all that oil is less enticing. After a wonderful meal and it’s time to clean-up, do you know what to do with that left-over cooking oil?

You can store used cooking oil to reuse later. If you plan to reuse your cooking oil, you should choose high-quality oil with a high smoking point and strain it through cheesecloth between each use. Store the used cooking oil in a cool, dry place in a sealed container. Or if you choose to dispose of it, do not pour it down your drain. That can cause costly damage to your home plumbing, sewage collection system and septic system. Additionally, do not dispose of used cooking oil in your garden, down a storm drain or into a canal. Once the oil enters the water system it becomes a pollutant and may cause serious harm to water quality and marine life.

To dispose of cooking oil properly, carefully pour the cooled used cooking oil into a large, sturdy plastic container no larger than 5 gallons in size. Don’t mix the used cooking oil with any other liquids or products. Cap it tightly and drop it off at one of the Solid Waste Authority’s seven Home Chemical and Recycling Centers. There are two recycling centers in Delray Beach and one in the City of Lantana. For a complete list of drop-off locations call 561-697-2700 or visit the Solid Waste Authority’s website (link: https://www.swa.org/171/Home-Chemical-Disposal).

 

Control Structure general

Technology & Flood Control

/in ,

Occurring anytime of the year, our tropical rain storms can be intense and seriously threaten property and life. In response, Lake Worth Drainage District (LWDD) staff monitors canal elevations daily and coordinates the operations of its water control structures. Water control structures act like dams, allowing stormwater to be released or held back depending on the conditions.  The automated technology used to operate the LWDD’s water control structures is called Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA). As water rises in the canal and reaches a pre-determined elevation, SCADA will slowly open control structures releasing water for flood control. Similarly, as water elevations return to normal levels the control structure gates will close, holding water back for conservation and water supply demands.  In anticipation of severe weather, District staff can override the automated SCADA system and make manual adjustments.

Additionally, SCADA technology eliminates the need for LWDD staff to venture out during dangerous weather conditions to operate control structures. If needed, staff can adjust a control structure via a mobile device from any location, thus significantly reducing response time. Another advantage to SCADA, is the capture of operational data by the system which can be used to evaluate future water supply needs and historical flood control responses. This data can be shared with regional water management partners for enhanced flood control coordination and water conservation measures.

With approximately 500 miles of canals and 20 major water control structures, the Lake Worth Drainage District is one of the largest water control districts in Florida. We are proud to provide our residents with this enhanced water management technology and dependable flood control.

Man cleaning flooded home

The Probability of Flood Risk

/in ,

In some places homes and businesses constructed in areas known as the 1-in-100-year flood plain have been hit by multiple floods in the same year. The assumption that if their area has experienced a 1-in-100-year flood, then for the next 99 years they do not have to worry about flooding is not correct.  While it is unlikely that two large storms will happen in close succession, history has demonstrated that it is not impossible.

Confused by the term 1-in-100-year flood, many people begin to wonder what their flood risk really is. The definition of a 1-in-100-year flood is a flood that has a 1% chance of occurring in any given year. Understanding the probability of your flood risk can be a complex process, but the hydrologists at the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) are striving to communicate risk more effectively, in part by transitioning away from the term 1-in-100-year flood and instead referencing multiple year flooding probabilities. For example, a home in the 1-in-100-year flood plain, can be better understood as a home with a 26% chance it will flood over the course of a 30-year mortgage.

Providing residents and community leaders with a clearer understanding of the probability of flood risk for a location is important. It allows decisions to be made that will better protect themselves and the community. For more information on flood risk probability, visit the USGS website at https://www.usgs.gov/special-topic/water-science-school/science/floods-and-recurrence-intervals.