Water Management Part 1

Over the years, I have been extremely focused on water management issues. I actually chaired the U.S. Mayors' Water Council, which is a national organization that works with municipalities, water agencies, and the national government. We also work collectively with international agencies. Managing this natural resource is vital. Not only is it needed to sustain life, but we also need to ensure that we have clean drinking water, that wastewater is treated efficiently, and that flood waters are controlled to the extent possible.

Over the last month, our area has received 25% of the average per year. I, along with the Commission and every resident, become extremely anxious every time it rains. Over the past three years, we have seen what are considered 100- to 1,000-year storm events, which have damaged homes and cars unlike anything anyone has seen before. 

Once our ground is saturated, rainwater will take longer to be absorbed into the system. King Tides compound the challenge of water absorption since we are at Sea Level. Due to the alignment of the moon and its gravitational pull, these tides occur four times a year, each lasting three days. It's already affecting drainage systems built in the mid-19th century via ocean outfalls. Once the tide rises above the pipes, water has nowhere to go and piles up until the tide goes out. Being surrounded by water and having the section of our City a little over 1 foot above Sea Level creates ponding underwater, particularly in the northeast.

These events are very different from Hurricanes, since we do not have much warning. Our City Commission and Staff have been keenly focused on addressing the new reality of microbursts and sunny day flooding. The most recent storm events were particularly impactful on East Hallandale Beach Boulevard. End locations West of 12th Avenue and Federal Highway. The other impacted area was Golden Isles Drive. 

In anticipation of Hurricane and Rainy Season, residents and visitors may have noticed that we have put emergency response barricades and protocols in place. They were deployed instantly, which helped prevent cut-through traffic and vehicle loss. Our drainage system in the area, after being cleaned and monitored, actually allowed the water to pass through in one area off of 12, which is 2 feet high, and it was gone within 4 hours. This was also evident in other areas of the community.

King tides had a greater impact on Golden Isles Drive. This issue in itself is extremely complex. While we are looking at our bridges throughout the city, this area is actually an island. We need to begin to discuss how to implement a citywide requirement for seawalls. Some condominiums have begun their replacement, and others have not. Without a uniform seawall around the entire island, water will never be contained.

Our city also experienced two sewer backups caused by contractors. 1 was in Hollywood and hid their sewer project, and the other one here in the city was tied to one of our lift stations. I will discuss sanitary sewer in next week's article, but encourage everyone to check out the link below from our last City Commission Meeting. We all had inquired about flooding and these incidents. Following Commission Vice Mayor Lazaro's remarks, we had an approximately 10-minute presentation by our Director of Public Works. Please visit: www.cohb.org and click on the link to agendas.

As always, I am available anytime for your questions, concerns, and ideas to make our City a better place on my Phone/Text at: 954-632-5700. Or you can email me at: jcooper@cohb.org. Please visit me on my Facebook page at: MayorJoyCooperHB. Like! Follow! And share!