Recurring flooding issues afflicted two communities in Pasco County, Florida. The Trinity Oaks and Thousand Oaks subdivisions were built between 1990 and 2003, and large wet weather events or repeated rain over a short period would overwhelm the drainage infrastructure. Existing floodgates were difficult to access, so by automating them, Woodard & Curran helped Pasco County anticipate potential flooding and reduce response time when wet weather strikes, saving time and money and protecting residents.
The area where the repeated flooding occurred had existing flood mitigation infrastructure in place, including several detention ponds in the Trinity Oaks neighborhood and flood gates that could be manually adjusted to regulate flow. The ponds, however, were frequently overwhelmed leading to overflows that flooded adjacent properties. In some locations, prolonged high water in the receiving slough system (an area of marshy ground and pools) the ponds drain into caused backups and contributed to the problem.
The flood gates, while effective in managing flow, could only be operated manually and water levels were also read manually. This meant that staff would have to visit each gate to check the water level and adjust them accordingly, delaying response to high water. Many gates were also in remote areas that were difficult or even dangerous to reach, so remote access saves time and protects staff from potential hazards.
The solution was to automate eight of the flood gates and provide a way to remotely check the water level in real time. Using radar level sensors and new gate actuators, water level and gate position are fully monitored. This data is transmitted over the internet via a secure private network and monitored from a new Central Control Center within the Stormwater Administration Building. The design-build approach gave Pasco County a turnkey system, which staff can use to see culvert water levels and open or close gates from the Control Center or from mobile devices.
With remote operability in place, staff can even anticipate forecast weather events and pre-position the flood gates to mitigate the impacts of an oncoming storm. In addition, the project dramatically reduced the response time when a heavy rain event hits the area or when repeated rain leads to high water levels within the drainage system and further gate adjustments are necessary. Pasco County can better protect residents from floods while saving significant time and money compared to manual operations.