In Weston, stormwater is managed through a system of interconnected lakes and canals which are regularly maintained by the City’s Public Works Department. Constant, unobstructed water flow through these water bodies, especially during storm events, is essential to prevent flooding. Stormwater also enters the City’s management system through catch basins (stormwater drains.) The City has a comprehensive preventive maintenance program, whereby each basin on the City’s public rights-of-way is inspected once per year and obstructive debris from within is removed.
Property owners are urged to keep catch basin grates on or adjacent to their property clear of tree limbs, palm fronds, leaves and any debris that may obstruct the flow of water into the basin, thereby flooding streets.
It is a violation of City and state laws to dump trash or introduce pollutants into the City’s water bodies and wetland mitigation areas.
The video below provides and excellent overview of how the City manages the stormwater system in Weston.
https://vimeo.com/311776094?embedded=true&source=video_title&owner=92273474
Why there flooding within Weston during Tropical Storm Eta
Our drainage system is designed for the “100 year flood” in such a way as to make sure water does not get into homes or compromise our sewer system. In that sense, the system worked as designed, even when Weston received nearly 18” of rain in less than 18 hours.
This area has certainly had heavy rains over the past 20+ years, but those have typically been stretched out over 2-3 days. Tropical Storm Eta was an enormous amount of rain in a very short period of time. While the roadways and swales held water, there was no water in structures
Original source can be found here.
