Residents raise stormwater concerns after Tropical Storm Debbie; engineer outlines system performance

District Engineer Charlie Krebs reported on stormwater system performance following Tropical Storm Debbie, saying parts of the community received "almost 8 inches of rain in two or three days" while the roadway design anticipates about 5' inches over 24 hours. He said the system flowed unobstructed though it reached capacity in places and suggested adding a drainage connection to E1-A to allow water to bypass pipes and inlets and flow directly to a lake if needed.

A resident said standing water from the storm was coming up through a slab and believed it caused mold in their unit. Mr. Krebs recalled a prior comment that standing water had been an ongoing occurrence at that site and said he did not believe the stormwater system was the cause because other units had not reported similar problems. Chair Bob Schultz asked that Mr. Long comment on the matter and requested it be included on the next agenda for further review. Mr. Krebs also noted that allowing fire trucks to draw water from the lakes would risk pulling plants and fish into firefighting equipment and would require approval from the South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD).