BACKGROUND

Florida’s Lake Worth Drainage District (LWDD or District) was created in 1915 specifically for the purposes of reclaiming, draining, and irrigating the lands within its boundary and to provide water control and water supply to support the livelihood of communities along Florida’s Atlantic Coast between Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach.

Today, LWDD provides comprehensive flood control, water conservation, and water supply protection for 13 municipalities serving more than 750,000 residents. As part of its remit, LWDD monitors and controls a complex system of approximately 500 miles of canals, 20 major water control structures, and numerous minor structures across over 200 square miles.

SUMMARY

The system was put to the test during Hurricane Irma in September 2017. Hurricane Irma was an extremely powerful hurricane, which brought devastating winds and flooding to a large part of the eastern Caribbean and the eastern US seaboard.

Irma was the strongest storm on record to exist in the open Atlantic region and the combined effect of storm surge and tide produced maximum inundation levels of 4 to 6 ft above ground level for portions of Miami-Dade County in southeastern Florida.

With the integrated system giving combined visibility on the canal status as well as rainfall intensity and duration, the District was able to predict the performance of its flow control infrastructure, project peak stages, and make educated, proactive decisions on managing this historic event. This adaptive stormwater system allowed the District to operate with LWDD Operational Dashboard no interruption in service before, during, or after Irma.

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