WITHIN NOW DAYS AFTER THE RAIN FINALLY STOPPED, SO MANY IN SOUTH FLORIDA ARE STILL DEALING
WITH A FLOOD OF TROUBLES IN
NEIGHBORHOODS.
>> GOVERNMENT MANAGERS ARE
DEALING WITH AN OVERWHELMED
WATER CONTROL SYSTEM AND SEWAGE
TREATMENT PLANTS THAT JUST
COULDN’T HANDLE ALL THE WASTE.
IT HAS CAUSED A STINKY NIGHTMARE
FOR TENS OF THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE
IN SOUTH FLORIDA.
PAUL THOMPSON IS ONE OF THEM.
HE IS THE ASSISTANT UTILITIES
DIRECTOR FOR THE CITY OF
PEMBROKE PINESK WELCOME, GLAD
YOU ARE WITH US, THANK YOU.
>> GOOD MORNING, THANK YOU FOR
HAVING ME.
>> SURE, COULD YOU GIVE US AN
UPDATE ON THE SITUATION IN
PEMBROKE PINES, HOW ARE YOU
DOING TODAY WITH ALL THE WATER.
>> WELL, PEMBROKE PINES IS DOING
MUCH BETTER TODAY.
WE HAVE BEEN SERIOUSLY WORKING.
WE’VE HAD A LOT OF OUR CREWS OUT
ON THE GROUND, OUT IN THE FIELD,
WE HAD MOST OF OUR ISSUES TO THE
WESTERN PORTION OF OUR CITY, AND
THAT REALLY STRESSED THOSE
COMMUNITIES THAT ARE IN THAT
AREA.
BUT AS OF RIGHT NOW WE ARE
SEEING NO ACTIVE AREAS OF
FLOODING.
WE HAVE BEEN DRAWING DOWN WATER,
WE’VE BEEN DOING A LOT OF WORK
IN THE AREA SO WE HAVE NO ACTIVE
FLOODING FOR THE MOST PART.
SOME AREAS MAY HAVE SMALL AREAS
WHERE THE LAKES ARE STILL AT
HIGH LEVELS.
BUT NOW WE ARE FOCUSING ON
CLEARING THE MAIN LINES AND JUST
LOWERING THE LEVELS IN OUR LIFT
STATIONS.
>> SO YOU ARE DOING WHAT SO MANY
OF YOUR COUNTERPARTS IN OTHER
PLACES ARE DOING.
AND I THINK WE’RE GOING TO ASK
YOU SORT TOV SPEAK BROADLY ON
THEIR BEHALF BECAUSE WE WATCH
THE HEADLINES AND I THINK PEOPLE
REALLY DO UNDERSTAND.
WE HAD A LOT OF WATER ALL AT
ONCE AND THE GROUND JUST
COULDN’T AN ABSORB IT ALL AT
ONCE BECAUSE WE ARE A LOW LYING
REGION.
THIS PROGRAM, WE GO BEYOND THAT,
SO WHY CAN’T THE SYSTEMS KEEP
UP?
ARE THEY ANTIQUATED.
IS IT FIXABLE.
WHAT IS IT GOING TO TAKE FOR
SOUTH FLORIDA TO STAY RELATIVELY
DRY?
>> WELL, LET’S BE HAIR IN THE
FIRST INSTANCE AND UNDERSTAND
THAT THE LEVEL OF PRECIPITATION
THAT WE RECEIVED OVER THE TWO
DAY PERIOD NOVEMBER 7th
THROUGH THE 9th WAS UNUSUAL.
WE’RE LOOKING AT WHAT
EQUATES-- AMOUNTS TO 50 TO 100
YEAR FLOOD LEVELS OF RAINFALL,
THAT IS NOT A TYPICAL AMOUNT OF
RAINFALL IN OUR CITY.
FOR THE MOST PART MOST OF OUR
CITIES, ESPECIALLY IN THE NEWER
SECTIONS CAN HANDLE A FAIR
AMOUNT OF RAINFALL, FOUR INCHES
OF RAINFALL OR SO.
WHEN YOU GET TO EIGHT INCHES OF
RAINFALL, 12 INCHES OF RAINFALL
IN SOME CASES, 15, 18 INCHES
LIKE WE GOT, WE HAD ONE AREA IN
PEMBROKE PINES THAT RECEIVED 21
INCHES WITH.
>> WOW.
>> SO THAT IS NOT NORMAL.
SO IT IS NOT THAT THE SYSTEM IS
ANTIQUATED AND OF COURSE THERE
IS ALWAYS ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT.
THERE IS ALWAYS THE ABILITY TO
MAKE THINGS BETTER BUT WHEN
YOU’RE DEALING WITH UTILITY
INFRASTRUCTURE IT’S NEVER A
QUICK OR EASY TYPE OF SITUATION
WHERE YOU GO AND SNAP YOUR
FINGER AND MAKE IT HAPPEN.
OUR LEADERS HAVE TO BE A PART OF
IT.
OUR ENGINEERING TEAM, AND
EVERYONE HAS TO DO IT.
AND THEN WE HAVE TO MAKE SURE
THAT OVER THE COURSE OF YEARS
THAT WE IMPLEMENT AND UPGRADE AS
NECESSARY.
NOW I WAS IN TOUCH WITH PRETTY
OF ALL OF THE MAJOR CITIES
AROUND US AND LIKE YOU SAID THEY
ALL HAD THE SAME ISSUES.
NOW THE OLDER SECTION OF OUR
CITY TO THE EAST WHERE THE
DRAINAGE IS NOT AS GOOD,
FORTUNATELY RECEIVE LESS
RAINFALL SO THE EFFECT MAY HAVE
BEEN SIMILAR WITH EIGHT INCHES
OF WATER THERE AS WE SAW OUT
WEST WITH 15 INCHES OF WATER.
SO THERE ARE AREAS THAT NEED
SOME REBUILDING AND WE IN
PEMBROKE PINES ARE DOING AN
EXCELLENT JOB OF THAT BECAUSE
OUR AREA TO THE EAST IS BEING
RETROFITTED AND UPGRADED.
WE’VE UPGRADED THE WATER LINES
AND THE SEWER LINES IN THOSE
AREAS.
SO WE ARE ON A PATH TO IMPROVE
OUR SITUATION, SO I CAN ONLY
SPEAK FOR MY CITY IN THAT
REGARD.
>> PAUL, WE UNDERSTAND.
SORT OF THE MASTER CONTROL OF
THIS COMPLEX WATER CONTROL
SYSTEM IN SOUTH FLORIDA IS THE
SOUTH FLORIDA WATER MANAGEMENT
DISTRICT.
I LIKE TO SAY THE MOST POWERFUL
AND UNDERREPORTED AND GOVERNMENT
AGENCY IN SOUTH FLORIDA.
HUGE JOB THEY’VE GOT.
HOW WOULD YOU RATE THE JOB THEY
DID TO SORLT OF LOWER WATER IN
THE CANALS TO DO EVERYTHING THEY
COULD PRIOR TO THE ARRIVAL OF
THE WATER FROM ETA?
>> WELL, THERE ARE TWO PARTS TO
THAT ALSO.
BECAUSE WE ALL PLAN FOR A STORM.
THE REALITY IS NONE OF US KNEW
WHAT TYPE OF A STORM OR WHAT
LEVEL OF STORM WE WERE ABOUT TO
GET.
SO I AM PRETTY SURE THAT THE
SOUTH FLORIDA WATER MANAGEMENT
DISTRICT, I’M SURE THAT THE
BROWARD DRAINAGE DISTRICT,
BROWARD COUNTY DRAINAGE DISTRICT
ALL PREPARED BECAUSE WE PREPARED
IN OUR CITY AND WE WERE STILL
INDUN-- INUNDATED.
WE ALL PREPARED BUT WE DID NOT
EXPECT THE LEVEL OF RAINFALL
OVER THE TIME PERIOD THAT WE
RECEIVED.
SO I CAN’T SAY THAT THEY DID NOT
PREPARE WELL OR THEY DID NOT
PREPARE SUFFICIENTLY.
WHAT I CAN SAY IS THAT IT IS A
GREAT LEARNING EXPERIENCE SO
REGARDLESS OF THE TYPE OF SYSTEM
THAT IS COMING ON SHORE AND
EFFECTING OUR AREAS, I AM
REASONABLY SURE THAT GOING
FORWARD WE WILL ALL PREPARE TO A
HIGHER LEVEL.
WE’LL MAKE SURE THAT WE GO THAT
EXTRA MILE.
SO IF THEY DREW DOWN FIVE FEET
IN THE CANAL THAN AND SO ON I’M
SURE THE NEXT TIME THEY’RE GOING
TO START EARLIER AND TRY TO DRAW
DOWN TEN FEET IF THAT IS WHAT IT
REQUIRES.
>> I’M GOING TO ASK JUST ONE
QUESTION THAT YOU MIGHT BE OR
MIGHT NOT BE COMFORTABLE
ANSWERING.
BUT YOUR CITY PEMBROKE PINES IS
BUILT RIGHT UP TO THE EDGE OF
THE EVERGLADES, AS ARE OTHERS,
SHOULD IT BE?
>> WELL, UNFORTUNATELY, WE CAN’T
CHANGE THAT AT THIS POINT.
YOU KNOW, WE’RE ALREADY THERE.
SO WHAT WE HAVE TO DO IS MANAGE
WHAT WE HAVE.
AND YOU KNOW, JUST THE FACT THAT
THE FURTHER REACH OF OUR CITY TO
THE WEST IS A COMMUNITY BY THE
NAME OF HOLLY LAKE.
AND I WILL BE HONEST WITH YOU.
THAT HOLLY LAKE DID NOT HAVE THE
TYPE OF ISSUE THAT SOME OF THE
OTHER AREAS THAT ARE CLOSE TO
HOLLY LAKE HAD.
BUT HOLLY LAKE LITERALLY SITS IN
THE EVERGLADES.
SO I THINK YOU KNOW, WITH PROPER
MANAGEMENT WE’LL HAVE TO WORK
WITH WHAT WE HAVE.
WE ALREADY HAVE THE COMMUNITIES
RIGHT UP TO THE EVERGLADES.
I DON’T THINK WE NEED TO BE
BUILDING ADDITIONAL COMMUNITIES
INTO THE EVERGLADES TO ANSWER
YOUR QUESTION BETTER.
>> A GRACIOUS ANSWER AND THANK
YOU FOR BEING A GOOD SPORT ABOUT
THAT.
PAUL THOMPSON, THANKS SO MUCH,
APPRECIATE YOU BEING WITH IT.
>> THANK YOU.