No Swim Zone

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South Florida is a popular destination for water activities during the hot summer months. The Lake Worth Drainage District (LWDD) canal system may seem like an appealing spot to cool off, swim, or enjoy a day of fishing. However, it’s important to recognize that these waterways can pose significant dangers.

LWDD canals were not designed for recreational use. They serve the critical functions of collecting stormwater for flood control and supplying water to residents and businesses within our area. The operation of this flood control system involves large water control structures that, when opened, can cause sudden changes in water levels and create strong currents that are not always visible from the surface. These currents can catch swimmers and boaters off guard, and near open structures, undertows can be powerful enough to pull swimmers and small boats underwater.

Canal banks lack protective barriers and may collapse due to the soft sandy soil and underlying rocks. Once in the water, the steep slope of the canal bank can make it extremely difficult to climb out. Depending on the time of day or the location of the canal, cries for help may go unnoticed.

Numerous hidden dangers and submerged hazards lurk within the canals, such as broken glass, scrap metal, bottles, cans, and wildlife including alligators, snapping turtles, and snakes. Diving in these canals is particularly hazardous due to varying depths and submerged aquatic vegetation that can entangle limbs.

To ensure safety, adhere to a few essential guidelines: refrain from swimming in canals; opt for safer environments like pools or beaches instead. Maintain a safe distance from canal banks to prevent accidental falls into the waterway, and always steer clear of water control structures.

For more comprehensive water safety tips, visit the Palm Beach County Drowning Prevention Coalition’s website at http://discover.pbcgov.org/drowningprevention.

woman holding her nose closed due to bad oder

Your Question Answered

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Why do I sometimes smell a strong odor after the District has treated the canal with herbicide?

The strong odor you smell is related to the oil emulsion that is mixed with the herbicide. Emulsion herbicides are a thicker consistency, allowing the spray to adhere to treated vegetation even when it rains so that it stays in place long enough to be effective. The odor will dissipate within a few days. The District strictly adheres to the environmental rules and regulations established and enforced by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) for the application of various herbicides associated with aquatic vegetation management.

Cartoon of turkey on stage

Tom Has A Message For You

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A fried turkey is 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 a 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.

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 Home Chemical and Recycling Centers. For a complete list of drop-off locations call 561-697-2700 or visit the Solid Waste Authority’s website at https://www.swa.org/173/Used-Cooking-Oil.

dog

There Is No Poop Fairy

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Pet waste is seemingly a small source of pollution but over time it can add up to big problems for water quality in stormwater ponds, canals, lakes and streams. Pet waste will not just decompose and go away. Instead, it adds harmful bacteria and nutrients to local waters when it is not disposed of properly.

Unlike wild animals that consume resources from their ecosystem, pets are fed commercially produced foods designed to give them a complete and healthy diet. Because pet food is extremely nutrient rich, pet waste contains high levels of phosphorus and nitrogen. When it rains, pet waste dissolves and can flow into stormwater management systems contributing to water pollution that can degrade water quality.

The waste causes excess nutrients which contribute to algae and nuisance aquatic weed growth, causing low oxygen in the water that can affect the aquatic environment. Nutrient pollution can also cause the waters to become cloudy making it unattractive for property owners. In urban areas, pet waste and fertilizers are among the top sources of nutrients in stormwater ponds.

If not disposed of properly, pet waste not only affects water quality, but public health. The pathogens like bacteria, parasites and viruses found in pet waste can make people ill. The Environmental Protection Agency estimates the average dog excretes between 0.5 and 0.75 pounds of waste per day. One gram of dog waste contains about 23 million coliform bacteria, nearly twice the amount found in the equivalent amount of human waste. It is hard to believe that our furry friends can cause so much trouble.

Remember, there is no Poop Fairy, it is up to you, the pet owner, to help keep pollutants out of local waterways.

heron bird with fish in its mouth

Not All Algal Blooms Are Harmful

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Warm temperatures and rainy Summer weather conditions often set the stage for algal blooms in our rivers, lakes, ponds, and canals. Like many people across the State, residents of the Lake Worth Drainage District (LWDD) may have concerns or confusion about these blooms. To help answer some frequently asked questions, we are providing the following information about algae.

Algae are simple organisms that grow through photosynthesis, a process by which sunlight is used to metabolize nutrients. Algae are a basic component of the food chain and are commonly found in marine, estuarine, freshwater lakes, canal systems, stormwater ponds and even swimming pools. Algae appear as green, red, or yellowish-brown particles that float on the water surface.

Although algae are a normal component of an aquatic ecosystem, nutrient-rich waters warmed by the sun provide a favorable medium for the overgrowth. This overgrowth is called an ‘algal bloom’. For algal blooms to occur two things must be present: high concentration of nutrients (nitrogen and phosphorus) and adequate sunlight. We cannot control sunlight, but we can limit our nutrient impact to surrounding waterbodies with proper maintenance of septic tank systems and limited use of fertilizers on landscapes and lawns. Currently approved herbicide or chemical treatments for the removal of algae uses a heavy metal compound that may adversely impact the waterbody. However, scientists are studying new treatments for the control of algae and safer alternatives may become available in the future.

While visually unappealing, most algae is not harmful to human health and provides a food source for aquatic life. However, some types, like “Blue-green” algae, which is a cyanobacteria, secrete toxins that may be harmful. The algae toxins can be inhaled by people living around the waterbody. It will aggravate respiratory illnesses like asthma. Symptoms of exposure to toxic algae include difficulty breathing, wheezing, skin rashes, headaches, and possible tingling in the fingers and toes. If water containing toxic algae is consumed potential liver damage may occur. It is important to keep humans and pets away from waterbodies that have toxic algal blooms and seek medical advice if symptoms appear.

Since most types of algae found within LWDD’s canals are non-toxic and do not impact flood control operations, LWDD does not regularly treat the canal system for algal blooms. Most algae growth in our canals is harmless and will dissipate on its own or will be flushed out of the canal system after a heavy rainfall.

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