Issue link: https://newsleader.uberflip.com/i/180498
Sarasota News Leader September 27, 2013 Page 19 The Southwest Florida Water Management District reports that the historic rainfall average for September in its South District, which includes Sarasota County, is 7.53 inches. That area recorded 4.92 inches of rain from Sept. 1 to Sept. 18. City utilities crews worked throughout the day on Sept. 25, as they did the previous night, to relieve pressure from the wastewater system, which continued "to experience an unusually high flow rate due to the excessive heavy rainfall," a city news release said. Pumper trucks were diverting wastewater from the sanitary system under the streets to minimize overflows, the release noted. The playground at Southside Elementary School in Sarasota was mostly underwater on Sept. 24. Photo by Cleve Posey Typically, the city's wastewater flow rate is 5 Once the storm passed, the news release to 6 million gallons per day, the release said. continued, the impacted streets would be The rain elevated that to approximately 27 sanitized. million gallons on the morning of Sept 24. Around the county, a number of roads and "We're better off this morning than we were neighborhoods were dealing with flooding, [Tuesday]," Utilities Director Mitt Tidwell add- Spencer Anderson, the county's Field Services ed in the release. "Our flow rate dropped ap- Department director, notified county adminisproximately 2 million gallons, from 27 yester- trative staff by email. day to 25 million this morning, so, that's good news. But we're still running at five times the "Typical issues involve pockets of roadway flooding near intersections with some areas of normal flow rate." standing water along entire stretches of road," The unusually heavy flow rate resulted in Anderson wrote. "The majority of these … high water alerts at 18 lift stations and six are the result of rain amounts overwhelming confirmed manhole overflows into streets on adjacent drainage systems. Previous lulls or Sept. 24, the release pointed out. Two manhole gaps in rain events have resulted in the quick overflows occurred on the morning of Sept. recovery of most areas. Some areas will have 25. The Florida Department of Environmental prolonged standing water until adjacent sysProtection was notified, the release said. tems drain, which may not occur until longer periods without rain," he continued. "Manhole covers are designed to automatically pop off to relieve pressure when the flow "There have been several calls from residents/ rate exceeds capacity," Tidwell explained in property owners … with claims of flooded structures (water inside homes/businesses)," the release.