Now that the rainy season is over, it is time for a drainage check-up. LWDD offers many helpful tips and an instructional video titled ‘Getting To Know Your Drainage System’ which can be found on our website. Take advantage of this dry-season to inspect and maintain your community drainage system. Visit our Resources website for more information at https://lwddnet.wpengine.com/resources/videos-publications.
There are a variety of options and techniques property owners can use to help reduce or eliminate nuisance iguanas. Many of these strategies are simple and easily employed. This list of frequently asked questions will help guide you through this process.
Does LWDD provide eradication services for iguana infestations?
LWDD is a single purpose special district with the authority to provide flood control and water supply to the residents within its boundary. Tax assessments are collected for the maintenance and operation of these facilities. Iguanas typically do not interfere with LWDD’s flood control operations. However, where iguana activity is threatening significant damage to drainage infrastructure, LWDD may contract with professional wildlife managers to help control populations.
What might be attracting the iguanas to my property?
Typically, iguanas will use an area for foraging or for nesting. To prevent iguanas from entering your property consider what might attract them. Never feed iguanas – either intentionally or unintentionally. Food left outdoors will attract iguanas and can create problems for both you and your neighbors by creating dense concentrations of iguanas. Pans of cut fruit and outside pet food will attract iguanas as well as other unwanted visitors like rats and raccoons.
How can I prevent the iguanas from nesting?
You can remove protective covers including dense thickets, brush, or rock piles where iguanas congregate. Fill vacant iguana burrows with sand during the day when the animals are likely to be outside of the burrow. You do not want to fill these holes with any animals still inside.
Contrarily, some property owners have constructed artificial nesting habitats to attract iguanas. The purpose of this approach is to control reproduction. Iguanas lay their eggs in sand or mulch. By adding mulch piles or sand piles near sea walls, you can encourage iguanas to focus nesting on these controlled structures. Once eggs are deposited, they can be easily removed then disposed of in a sealed plastic bag.
What type of landscape material can I plant to deter the iguanas?
Iguanas prefer to eat some very popular landscaping material such as: Hibiscus, Orchids, Roses, Nasturtiums, Impatiens and Purple Heart Plant. Iguanas prefer bright red, orange or yellow flowers and fruits and feed on tender leaves. Instead, plant species that are iguana-resistant, such as Milkweed, Pentas, and Citrus. Generally, plants with thick, tough, or waxy leaves will discourage iguana consumption. These types of leaves are less palatable and often difficult to digest. If the food source is removed, iguanas will be less likely to inhabit an area.
What types of exclusion techniques can I use?
Exclusion techniques can also be deployed to keep iguanas from damaging your property. Consider protecting valuable plants with cages or screen enclosures. Iguanas are excellent climbers. They may get into and on dwellings via overhanging trees. Trim overhanging branches to remove the unintentional “bridge” to buildings. Sheet metal guards on trees, palms, and dock pilings can prevent them from climbing.
Wire barriers can prevent digging on your property. In areas where iguanas burrow or dig, consider installing chicken wire fencing. This fencing should be buried several inches underground or the iguanas may dig underneath the fence.
What types of deterrent techniques can I use?
Several options can help you deter iguanas from your property. Property owners can surprise iguanas by spraying them with a water hose until they leave the area. You can also make loud noises to startle iguanas and create an unwelcome atmosphere around your property. Other techniques include hanging compact discs (CDs) near sea walls or on trees or other plants you want to protect. However, you will need to change the position of CDs on a weekly basis, so the iguanas do not become accustomed to their light reflections.
Is there an iguana repellent I can use?
While not proven, some property owners have experience success with iguana repellents. A homemade spray repellent can be made using garlic, lime juice, habanero pepper and dish soap. Iguanas loathe the smell of these ingredients and for the most part try to avoid the areas and any kind of food source that contains the smell of these ingredients. Using iguana repellents requires the need to redo the application each time it rains as the repellent will be washed away.
Where can I get professional help?
Residents are encouraged to seek professionals to remove iguanas from their property. Property owners can search the internet or phone book to locate wildlife control companies. Costs can vary depending on the extent of iguana infestation and the species of iguana that has invaded your property. Be sure to get a written quote from several service providers before contracting with a provider.
Can I kill the iguanas on my property?
Iguanas and all other wildlife are protected by anticruelty laws, and inhumane treatment of them is prohibited and punishable by state law. Inhumane treatment includes the use of poisons to kill iguanas; no poisons are legal to use on iguanas or any other reptile in Florida. Property owners that desire to kill the iguanas themselves must do so safely and humanely and following the guideline provided by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission at www.myfwc.com/iguana.
Can a property owner or a professional service provider enter LWDD’s canal right-of-way to trap or provide iguana eradication services?
Prior to working on LWDD’s right-of-way authorization is required. Property owners and/or professional service providers should contact LWDD for authorization at 561-498-5363 or permits@lwdd.net.
Where can I find more information on iguana control?
Visit the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s website www.myfwc.com/iguana.
This list of frequently asked questions was compiled from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s website www.myfwc.com/iguana.
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
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.
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.
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.
Fried 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).
