Orange County to draw down ponds three days before major storms, officials say

Orange County officials described an operational plan for the newly completed Orlo Vista mitigation system that includes lowering pond levels three days before an approaching hurricane to create additional storage for forecasted rainfall. The county said the drawdown will be coordinated with the forecasting system installed as part of the project.

"We are going to pump down the ponds 3 days in advance of a hurricane. In that way, we are going to create the additional storage to receive the rainfall," an agency official said during the report. That strategy is intended to increase available storage capacity ahead of a predicted heavy-rain event and reduce the risk of overtopping in nearby neighborhoods.

Officials also described how the new pumps and station will be used in event operations: with the forecast system, crews can monitor pond elevations in real time and operate pumps to move water downstream as needed. The county reported pump capacity of about 40,000 gallons per minute directed toward the Shingle Creek watershed; the transcript does not include permitting or downstream-impact analysis.