Engineer: stormwater system held but some areas exceeded design during Tropical Storm Debbie

District Engineer Charlie Krebs reported Aug. 27 that the Pinehurst valley gutter inlet grate replacement project is about 80% complete and that the stormwater system broadly functioned during Tropical Storm Debbie, although some areas reached capacity.

Krebs told the board that parts of the community received almost 8 inches of rain over two or three days, while local roads were designed to handle about 5½ inches in 24 hours. He recommended the district consider adding a drainage connection so water can bypass pipes and inlets and flow directly into Lake E1-A to help convey runoff.

A resident said standing water appears to be coming up through a slab and believed it was causing mold in a unit. Krebs responded that he did not believe the standing water caused the reported mold because neighboring units had not reported similar issues and suggested placing the matter on the next agenda for further review. Bob Schultz asked staff to include the item on the next agenda.

Separately, resident Christine Mantilia asked whether fire trucks could draw water from the lakes to lower levels; Krebs said that would be atypical, could pull in plants and fish, and would require approval from the South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD). The board directed staff to follow up and confirm schedules for related asphalt patches and other repairs.