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How safe are we from mass flooding?

Written by Dr. Garth A. Rose

Friday, 27 June 2008

With tragic floods sweeping the Midwest, South Floridians, now in the hurricane season, are anxious about their susceptibility to flooding and are concerned about whether there are systems in place to prevent a crisis, should these floods occur. Although there are no major rivers, like the Mississippi, in South Florida that threatens to flood the region when it overflows, the area is characterized by a maze of canals and lakes which residents become weary of whenever there are heavy rains or storms. Florida, which averages 50 to 60 inches of rain a year, especially during the hurricane months, is by far the most ‘at risk’ state in the nation in terms of flood prone properties, having over 1.8 million flood insurance policies (41 percent of US total). There are major infrastructures, including high rise businesses and homes, along the coasts and near large waterways. Additionally, southern regions of the state are extremely flat, just slightly above sea level, so even moderate rains can accumulate quickly. But, according to Randy Smith, a spokesman for the South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD), the system that south Florida has in place may have grown old but “it is very reliable.”  The agency regularly monitors weather conditions, especially pending storms, and when flooding occurs, lowers water levels in canals and direct excess water flows to the sea by opening canal gates and operating pumping stations. Smith says that while it is impossible to control the force and extent of rain brought by storms, the agency can avert severe flooding by having excess water run off quickly. Although streets and buildings and cars may be flooded, it is hardly likely that such flooding would submerge buildings and cars as seen in the Iowa and other Midwest state floods. When the Central and South Florida water management (flood drainage and control) system was designed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the assumption was that the system would need to protect a population of about 2 million people by the year 2000. Today, the population is approximately 6 million, but because of the technical advances and operational refinements of the SFWMD, the system continues to protect residents of South Florida from catastrophic flooding. The regional system works in concert with smaller systems, which are managed by communities or local governments such as cities, counties or water control districts. Each part of this man-made system has a crucial role to play in avoiding catastrophic flooding, while preserving adequate water supply during periods of drought. Smith emphasized that it is crucial that the region’s drainage system be frequently and efficiently maintained, but pointed out that it is also the responsibility of residents. Blocked drains that impede water flow during heavy rains will cause flooded streets and communities, so they should be cleared regularly. Throughout the year, SFWMD field and headquarters staff monitor and manage water levels in the canals, rivers, wetlands, lakes and underground aquifers that are all part of the regional system. Levees, dams, weirs, impoundments and structures of all sizes are frequently maintained or enhanced to meet the needs of the region’s residents while also protecting or enhancing environmental functions. Putting systems in place Because of the threat to Floridians from floods, especially from hurricanes, in 1948, the U.S. Congress created the Central and Southern Florida Flood Control Project that included a series network of canals, canal gates and water pumping stations. In 1949 the state’s legislature created the Central and Southern Florida Flood Control District, the predecessor to the 1972 Florida Water Resources Act that created five water management districts in the state, including the SFWMD.  The SFWMD’s authority covers 16 counties extending from Orange County in Central Florida, south to Munroe County and includes Palm Beach, Broward, and Miami-Dade counties. The initiatives that began in the late 1940s on the regional water management system minimize the effects of both flood and drought in the region. The canals, rivers, water control structures and wetlands of this system can move and store runoff from rainfall, helping to minimize flooding; and when it's not raining act to protect coastal well fields from saltwater intrusion. So, while Florida may be flood prone, and residents are wary, there are systems in place, which if they continue to be maintained, should prevent the catastrophe that we have seen in the Midwest over the past weeks.

 

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