2015 Report to District Landowners

Robert M. Brown, Executive DirectorJanuary 6, 2016

100 Years of Service!

Centennial celebration hosted in June including installation of 100th Board of Supervisors

Received congratulatory proclamations from multiple local governments agencies and municipalities

Created 12 original “Centennial Moment” videos documenting District’s history over the decades

Commemorative coins endowed by Board members

2015 Weather Conditions

Dry season rainfall totaled 15.01 inches, approximately 60% or 9.1 inches below average

As of November 1, wet season rainfall totaled 26.27 inches, approximately 71% or 10.58 inches below average

No major storm events; minimal effects from Tropical Storm Erika and Hurricane Danny during August 2015

Storms on February 5 and April 28-30 produced anticipated street flooding

Forecasters are predicting a cooler and wetter than normal climate for the 2016 dry season due to El Nino weather pattern

Telemetry Improvements

Automating existing gate and pumping

operations at ten (10) water control structures

• Supervisory Control And Data Acquisition (SCADA)

• Automatically operates flood control and water supply

facilities based on pre-determined ranges of optimal

stages

• Hurricane hardened facilities and associated computer solutions

Remote stage monitoring

• Replaces manually read staff gauges with

computerized monitoring stations that provide real-time

stage and rainfall data

SCADA Project

Initiated planning for implementation of a SCADA system in 2014

Completed Project Definition Phase• Field investigations

• Project definition report

• Schematic design

Initiated Detailed Design Phase• Site surveys and plans completed site

surveys

• Procured Geotechnical Engineering services for tower/building foundation design

• Six (6) sites will require new buildings to comply with current electrical codes

• Performed microwave network design and FCC path test

Field testing demonstrated that increasing tower heights was required to meet the intended system performance (est. cost increase ~$350,000)

220 MHz cost saving option provided by consultant

• Less interference: requires lower antennas, with lower costs (~$700,000 savings in tower construction)

• Maintains 100% of SCADA capability

• Avoids the need for a complex communication loop

With Board guidance, staff approved consultant recommendation to re-design with a lower, more robust radio frequency

Estimated design completion Spring 2016

Estimated construction completion Spring 2017

SCADA Project

Remote Monitoring TechnologyPraxsoft

Completed installation at

four (4) sites

• LWDD Radio Frequency

Monitoring underway

Remote Monitoring TechnologySmartcover

Completed installation at five

(5) sites; two (2) remaining

• Secure satellite network

• Radar-based rainfall estimates

Monitoring underway

Capital Improvement ProgramInfrastructure Refurbishment

Completed inspections of all major structures – facilities, gates, pumps, outfalls, etc.

Completed structure assessments and rankings

Capital ImprovementsInfrastructure Refurbishment

Electrical engineering services for evaluation of major water control servicesSolicitation and procurement of

qualified firm completed

Preliminary evaluation phase completed

• Design and construction phases underway

Replacement of actuators and hoist assembliesPlanning, solicitation, delivery and

testing completed

• Installation underway; expected completion Spring 2016

Capital ImprovementsInfrastructure Refurbishment

Control Structure 12 (L-38) Replacement of three radial gates Planning, solicitation, design and

delivery completed

Installation underway

Capital ImprovementsInfrastructure Refurbishment

Control Structure 11 (L-30)

Replacement of three radial gates Planning, solicitation, and design

completed

Delivery and installation scheduled for Spring 2016

Capital ImprovementsInfrastructure Refurbishment

Control Structure 4 (E-2)

Electrical building

construction completed

Capital ImprovementsInfrastructure Refurbishment

Sandalfoot Culvert at E-1½ and

Hillsboro Canal

Replaced deteriorating sheet pile weir

with an 84-inch culvert and riser

Accessible ROW71%

Obscured ROW26%

Obstructed ROW3%

Canal Length (Mi)

Accessible ROW Obscured ROW Obstructed ROW

Canal RehabilitationL-32 West of Jog Road

After – January 2015 Before – November 2014

Canal RehabilitationE-2W Between L-30 & L-31 (Turnpike)

Initiated February 2015

Work ongoing

Canal RehabilitationE-2W North of L-33 (Turnpike)

Canal RehabilitationL-13 Between Haverhill and E-3

AfterBefore

Canal RehabilitationL-47 Canal in Boca Raton

Before After

Canal RehabilitationE-3 Between Gun Club Road & CS 6

Before – September 2015 After– October 2015

Canal RehabilitationL-13 Between E-3 & Sherwood Forest

Before After

Canal RehabilitationL-19 East of Military Trail

Before – June 2015 After– July 2015

Canal RehabilitationL-46 West of Boca Rio

Before – 5/6/2016 After – 5/26/2016

Canal RehabilitationL-47 East of E-1

Before – April 2015 After – May 2015

Canal RehabilitationL-13 East of E-2E

AfterBefore

Canal RehabilitationL-47 East of E-1

Before After

Canal Rehabilitation L-32 Between Starkey & Lyons Road

Before After

Canal MaintenanceL-41 at Whisper Walk

During After

Canal MaintenanceL-22 East of Lawrence Road

Canal MaintenanceRight-of-Way Gates

Designed and manufactured standardized right-of-way gates • Saves staff time and decreases

vandalism

Installed seven (7) gates to date• L-13 – Two between Davis and

Congress in conjunction with County Sheriff’s office

• L-19 East of Lawrence Road

• L-47 at Rogers Property

• L-23W on West side of SR 441

• E-2W North of SW 18th Street

• E-3 North of Gun Club Road (installed poles)

Canal Maintenance

Mowed ~17,000 miles of

right-of-way

Treated 3,086 acres

aquatic vegetation

Continued treatment

program for upland

areas; 286 acres treated

Canal MaintenanceAquatic Vegetation Management

Modified vegetation management program to reduce reliance on aquatic herbicides

Improving efficiency in mechanical harvesting and chemical applications

• Installed 30 new 50 ft. vegetation ‘trash’ booms; 30 additional booms to be installed in 2016

• Purchased a mechanical harvesting grapple truck

• Focused herbicide applications to manage mid-summer blooms; timing vs quantity

• Purchasing plow-boat and fabricating weed buckets for excavators

District Fleet

Continued review of District

fleet and equipment to

realize savings on

maintenance costs and

staff time

Surplused older, inefficient

vehicles and equipment

• Shifted focus from break-fix to

preventative maintenance;

reduced mechanic staff

Implementing GPS Fleet

management program to

monitor usage

Campus ImprovementsShop Facilities

Completed construction of metal shop addition

Installed new shop lift

Constructed new access road

Organized facility; surplused and/or disposed of outdated supplies/parts

Campus ImprovementsEquipment Yard

Completed concrete paving of equipment storage yard

Before After

Campus ImprovementsEquipment Yard

Upgraded fuel terminal

Enhanced access control for dispensing fuel with employee IDs

Installed new A/C and lighting in fuel building

Campus ImprovementsOffice Buildings

Completed roofing project

Completed installation of new office carpeting and renovation of upstairs restrooms

Completed additional entrance from equipment yard to offices

Campus ImprovementsInformation Technology

Completed IT conduit installation and connections in conjunction with concrete paving project

Signed inter-local agreement with Palm Beach County for high speed fiber connection

• County completed connection to District in December

Installed wireless antennas for internal network connection redundancy

Completed assessment of tower leases to determine value of future leases

• Steel in the Air report indicated total for all leases are undervalued by ~$40,000/year; recommended District take ownership of tower at end of Verizon lease in 2021

Right-of-Way Management

Issued 255 right-of-way & drainage permits

Reviewed more than 400 new permit applications

Conducted approximately 5,600 right-of-way field inspections

Researched and responded to 2,175 Chancery Case 407 review requests

Researched and responded to 475 right-of-way review requests

Mapped 5,520 parcels for GIS database

Right-of-Way Management

Initiated development of comprehensive right-of-way permitting program

• Current right-of-way encroachment policies provide a wide range of management options including legal agreements, permits, licenses or staff discretion

• Staff developing a standardized and coordinated program to address right-of-way encroachments in the future

• Program will establish inspection and permit criteria, outreach activities and removal policies

• Anticipated completion Spring 2016

Completed solicitation and finalized contract for implementation of Accela permitting system; expected completion Summer 2016

• Streamlined permitting processes (tracking and reduced paper/postage)

• Enhanced document management (security, storage and staff accessibility)

• Enhanced public access

Horticultural Waste Disposal Site

Received 5-year permit

renewal and authorization to

mulch and dispose of material

Reduced the amount of

contaminate testing, resulting

in a $3,000 annual cost

savings

Evaluating outsourcing

opportunities for debris

management

Financial Highlights

$2,450,32517%

$2,349,00516%$9,891,070

67%

FY2016 Budgeted Funds$14,690,400

Administrative Regulatory Operations & Maintenance

Financial Highlights

Reduced herbicide budget by approximately 18%; expended ~70% of budgeted amount

Continued savings on energy costs through FPL’s Time of Use Program; more than $115,000 in four (4) years

Utilizing on-line auction website to dispose of surplus vehicles and equipment - $70,422

Revenues received:• Permit fees - $311,830

• Sale of surplus lands - $24,743

• Quit claim deeds - $12,590

• ROW agreements (tower leases) - $89,636

Reduced health care costs; no changes in benefits

Safety

Continued focus on employee safety in the workplace• Key performance measure; daily responsibility and

accountability

• Active employee safety committee meets throughout year to review incidents and discuss proactive measures

Realized $25,000 savings for workers comp premiums

Provided safety training for certification• Hazmat, chemical spill response, tractor safety, confined

space, landfill operator, fire extinguisher, first aid/CPR

Enhanced driver/equipment operator safety• Defensive driving training courses

• CDL and drug testing requirements for equipment operators

• GPS fleet monitoring

Implemented safety shoe reimbursement program

Received $5,000 through Preferred’s matching safety reimbursement program

Received 2015 Safety Award from the Florida Association of Special Districts

C-51 Reservoir Project

In January 2015, executed the

C-51 Reservoir Conveyance

Agreement for Phase I

Phase I expected to provide

17,000 acre feet of water storage

Agreement establishes

reimbursement to District for

related operational costs and

improvements

Operational protocols under

development

Annexation

LWDD Water Control Plan specifies need to annex areas outside District jurisdictional boundaries currently receiving benefits without paying annual assessments

Example:

• 4,000 taxable parcels within City of Boca not paying assessment

• ~5 miles of LWDD Canals

• 23% of Boca residents receiving services with no assessment

District submitted proposed legislation to County delegation; withdrew local bill to address concerns with language

Capital ImprovementsControl Structure 9 Relocation

Initiated preliminary

evaluation for relocation of

structure approximately

300 feet east of current

location

Governing Board – Sub-District 2

In September, Joyce Haley

retired from the board after

eight years of service

Steven Bedner appointed in

October

• 4th generation farmer and local

business owner

Governing BoardIn Memory: Murray Kalish (1918-2015)

Former board member and

community advocate

Served on District Board

for 11 years (2000-2011)

Served as Board President

in 2003, 2005 and 2009

November 20 established

as Murray Kalish Day

Outreach and Communication

Hosted a flood protection workshop for property managers; attended by 90 property managers

Attended/presented at more than 50 residential community association meetings

• Alliance of Delray, COWBRA, West Boca Community Council

Continued participation in intergovernmental coordination meetings

• PBC League of Cities, Metropolitan Planning Organization, South Florida Utility Council, FEMA Flood Map updates, Water Resources Advisory Commission

Participation in legislative member briefings, Palm Beach County Days and County legislative delegation meetings

Outreach and Communication

Responded to ~2,000 constituent inquiries related to field activities

Processed approximately 50 public records requests

Received approximately 40,500 page views on new website• Substantial increase expected with

implementation of Accela permitting module

Continued use of monthly newsletters, e-noticing and social media sites (Facebook and Twitter) to communicate with residents and property managers• +1,400 parties receiving

e-notifications and newsletters

Looking Ahead

Looking Ahead

Ongoing capital projects for refurbishment of water control infrastructure Control Structure 11; installation of replacement actuators and hoists; electrical

upgrades; Control Structure 9 relocation

Planning and execution of Canal Rehabilitation Program

Continued planning and implementation of Telemetry/SCADA system

Implementation of technology to further realize efficiencies

• Online permitting (Accela), asset management, financial processes

Ongoing consideration of operational efficiencies

• Pilot projects for contracted maintenance work; mowing and tree removal

• Vegetation management – mechanical vs. chemical treatment

• Evaluation/consolidation of job functions through attrition

Looking Ahead

LiDAR ($25,000 commitment to County project)

Vegetation management at horticultural site

Transfer of Development Rights (TDRs)

Future campus improvements

• Electrical and structural rehabilitation of Shop facilities

• Planning for construction of hardened office facility

(control room, data center, offices, meeting room and

storage space)

Future Challenges

Future Challenges

Future Challenges

Legislative / Regulatory• Water Quality

• State Requirements (TMDL/BMAP)

• Federal Jurisdiction of Canals-'Waters of the United States‘

• Sea Level Rise

• Special Districts

Operational• Use of District Rights-of-way (Reclaimed water, recreation, road

expansion, bike paths, etc.)

• Emergency Response (Hurricane/Flood/Drought)

• Erosion Control (Turnpike)

• Canal Conveyance

• Fuel/Chemicals/Electrical

• FRS

• Health Care (Affordable Care Act)

• Liability due to Lawsuits

Looking Ahead

Recommendation

The 2016 Report to Landowners provides an

overview of the District’s annual activities,

including District activities undertaken in

furtherance of the adopted water control plan

Recommend acceptance of report pursuant to

Florida Statutes Ch. 298.26