Flood Relief For the City of Deltona, FL

The city of Deltona, FL had experienced an exorbitant amount of rainfall during the summer of 2002, causing the many lakes to overflow and many residential areas to flood. As much as 100-million gallons was threatening to damage many homes. The average annual rainfall for Deltona is 53 inches. In a span of three months, Deltona had experienced approximately 50 inches of rain – almost the annual average*. In order to combat the flooding, the City had about 50 personnel from Public Works and Parks & Recreation in the field working around the clock.

Because of the rainfall, many of the city’s lakes and retention ponds were already filled beyond capacity and essentially had nowhere to go with the excess water. Another obstacle was in one area where the flooding was threatening a preserve for the endangered bird, the Florida Scrub Jay.

Thompson Pump aided the city by implementing their Emergency Response Team, the same team used during the September 11 disaster in New York City, and provided pumps and applications expertise to combat the flooding. The challenges posed to the Team was to attempt to divert the floodwater to areas that would not cause further flooding, and would not harm any environmentally sensitive areas, such as the Scrub Jay preserve. Large pumps could have been used to move a larger volume of water, but due to the environmental concerns they were rarely used.

As many as 25 pumps, ranging from 4-inch and 6-inch wet prime and dry prime trash pumps to hydraulic submersible and high pressure pumps, were rushed in to aid the city in moving the water. Because of the widespread flooding, the water was sent from one lake or retention pond to another until the water could be diverted to a safe area. At the same time, the flooded residential areas were equipped with pumps that moved the stagnant water into the city’s sewer system.

City officials were doing everything they could to help the situation. The city approved the construction of a new, centrally located retention facility to create a dry area to hold the water. Also, a compromise was met to use a sinkhole that was located within the Scrub Jay reserve to move some of the water from the nearby threatened residential area, and still maintain the preserve’s environment.

With two months left in the official hurricane season, the city hopes to handle the current situation before more rain comes in the form of a tropical storm or hurricane. Thompson Pump has provided the city with all of the resources necessary to accomplish this goal, and will continue to do so until the situation is under control.

 

2003