City will use ARP funding for drainage improvements in some neighborhoods

By Judy Wilson | Associate Editor

Deerfield Beach – With a major assist from American Relief Plan [ARP] funds, contracts are being awarded for sorely needed drainage projects, City Engineer Priscilla Cygielnik told the commission last week.

Heavy rains in May flooded Southeast 8 Avenue, an area on the city’s priority list established by a 2021 study. Low grades there and inadequate pipes prevent water draining into the trunkline.  Improvements will be made to that system beginning in the fall using $2.5 million in ARP money.

Another area of concern, Cygielnik said, is Southwest 34 Avenue and Southwest 2 Street where a similar problem exists. On June 3, nine inches of rain fell within 48 hours, flooding the neighborhood. The addition of a pump station at Ada Graham Johnson Park will alleviate that problem, she said. Design work should be done in 2023. The project is coming in at $3.7 million, $1.5 million paid for by the American Relief Plan.

In Crystal Lake, stormwater in an area around Northwest 45 Street and Crystal Lake Drive floods due to undersized drainage. Runoff is not being conveyed into Sailboat Lake, Cygielnik said. A new outfall is needed and in the fall she plans a public workshop. That project is priced at $2.6 million, all of it from local funds.

Residents here pay $3.75 a month into the stormwater fund to pay for improvements such as these.

Another area of concern is Northwest 1 Terrace in College Park where residents have long complained of rising waters. Cygielnik said at this time no work there has been funded. City Manager David Santucci asked that she take a look at the situation and come up with a temporary solution if possible.