Recent rainfall is bringing some relief to dry conditions across parts of South Florida and the Treasure Coast, allowing the water managers to test a new water management project.Tommy Strowd, executive director of the Lake Worth Drainage District, said the recent rainfall has not ended the drought but has helped.”We got rain we really needed badly,” Strowd said. “We had months of deficit rainfall since the start of the dry season back in November, and we were seeing ever-increasing drought conditions develop. The answer to that is rain.”Strowd said water levels in storage areas such as Lake Okeechobee, or the Water Conservation Areas, and the Arthur R. Marshall Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge. He said those areas in the Lake Worth Drainage District’s source of service water are used to maintain canal levels.”The concern was that was getting pretty low,” Strowd said. “And that it might not be available if the deficit continued.”He said the rainfall over the last few days has added more water to those storage areas, along with water for grass and vegetation.Officials with the South Florida Water Management District said they monitored this week’s heavy rainfall in Palm Beach County and the Treasure Coast and adjusted the water management system as needed to keep canal levels normal.Your neighborhood: Local coverage from WPBF 25 NewsThe rain also gave the district a chance to test a new diversion canal designed to help the St. Lucie Estuary.The project will redirect harmful discharges from the C-23 Canal to the C-44 Reservoir and treatment area, where the water can be cleaned before flowing into the St. Lucie River.Officials said the project is expected to improve water quality and restore more natural flow patterns.As South Florida heads closer to the wet season, water managers are reminding people not to assume they do not have to worry about flooding during the dry season.”Even in dry season, we can have enough rain to create shallow ponding and flooding conditions,” Strowd said. “So we always have to be aware of that.”He is urging homeowners’ associations and communities to check their stormwater systems now to make sure they are clean and working properly.Officials say the recent rain is encouraging, but they continue to stress the importance of being prepared and conserving water.Stay up-to-date: The latest headlines and weather from WPBF 25
PALM BEACH COUNTY, Fla. —
Recent rainfall is bringing some relief to dry conditions across parts of South Florida and the Treasure Coast, allowing the water managers to test a new water management project.
Tommy Strowd, executive director of the Lake Worth Drainage District, said the recent rainfall has not ended the drought but has helped.
“We got rain we really needed badly,” Strowd said. “We had months of deficit rainfall since the start of the dry season back in November, and we were seeing ever-increasing drought conditions develop. The answer to that is rain.”
Strowd said water levels in storage areas such as Lake Okeechobee, or the Water Conservation Areas, and the Arthur R. Marshall Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge. He said those areas in the Lake Worth Drainage District’s source of service water are used to maintain canal levels.
“The concern was that was getting pretty low,” Strowd said. “And that it might not be available if the deficit continued.”
He said the rainfall over the last few days has added more water to those storage areas, along with water for grass and vegetation.
Officials with the South Florida Water Management District said they monitored this week’s heavy rainfall in Palm Beach County and the Treasure Coast and adjusted the water management system as needed to keep canal levels normal.
Your neighborhood: Local coverage from WPBF 25 News
The rain also gave the district a chance to test a new diversion canal designed to help the St. Lucie Estuary.
The project will redirect harmful discharges from the C-23 Canal to the C-44 Reservoir and treatment area, where the water can be cleaned before flowing into the St. Lucie River.
Officials said the project is expected to improve water quality and restore more natural flow patterns.
As South Florida heads closer to the wet season, water managers are reminding people not to assume they do not have to worry about flooding during the dry season.
“Even in dry season, we can have enough rain to create shallow ponding and flooding conditions,” Strowd said. “So we always have to be aware of that.”
He is urging homeowners’ associations and communities to check their stormwater systems now to make sure they are clean and working properly.
Officials say the recent rain is encouraging, but they continue to stress the importance of being prepared and conserving water.
Stay up-to-date: The latest headlines and weather from WPBF 25