Pump stations ran at full capacity, but high canal levels slowed drainage. The city added portable pumps at South Acres Park and along Old Hiatus Road.

Floodwater is draining slowly from parts of Plantation Acres, the city says, because the rain overwhelmed the drainage system and the canals it empties into are running high. The city has brought in portable pumps to move the water out faster.

City Engineer Samira Shalan posted the latest update Wednesday on the Plantation Acres Improvement District website. All of the area’s pump stations had been running at full capacity since Sunday, she said. “However, the extraordinary amount of rainfall has exceeded the capacity of the drainage system, resulting in flooding currently affecting several areas throughout the Plantation Acres community,” she said.

What the city is doing

The city’s Engineering Department and its Stormwater Division posted two updates this week. The Tuesday update said the area got about 5 inches of rain in six hours overnight. It said all six district pump stations were running. But high water in the C-42 Canal was stopping the system from discharging stormwater as it should, so floodwater was going down more slowly than normal.

Across the two updates, the city listed these steps:

  • portable pumps at South Acres Park, sending water straight into the North New River Canal
  • portable pumps along Old Hiatus Road, to lower water in the surrounding area
  • a request to the South Florida Water Management District for emergency permission to pump directly into the North New River Canal and the C-42 Canal
  • stormwater crews working around the clock, checking canal levels, pump stations and flooded streets

The Wednesday update did not say whether the water management district had granted that permission. Shalan said she toured flooded areas Tuesday before the extra pumps went in.

How fast the water goes down “will depend on weather conditions and downstream canal water levels,” she said. The district’s website had no newer update as of Friday morning.

The weather is on the city’s side

The National Weather Service in Miami forecasts a dry weekend for Plantation:

  • Friday: mostly sunny, high near 85
  • Saturday: sunny, high near 86
  • Sunday: mostly sunny, high near 84

Weather service gauges in and next to Plantation caught 5.6 to 9.5 inches of rain from Sunday to Wednesday morning. Our rain story has the full totals.

Why South Acres floods first

South Acres has a known drainage problem, and the city’s portable pumps are aimed at it.

At a May 13 special meeting, the district’s engineer said standing water in South Acres has at times stayed for more than three days after storms. The approved minutes record these findings:

  • South Acres has no pump station of its own.
  • Its two canals, C1-A and C1-B, are not big enough to drain the area properly.
  • Pump Station No. 1 serves an area about 28% larger than the district’s other service areas.
  • South Acres sits about a foot lower, on average, than the rest of the district.
  • Road heights create what the engineer called a “bathtub effect,” trapping stormwater.

The fix on the table is a seventh pump station near Tara Park, draining into the North New River Canal. The city and the district have described it as a joint project, but no construction date or cost has been published.

The City Council has governed the district since Oct. 1, when it became a dependent district of the city. Our earlier story explains what changed and who to call.

What it means for you

  • Do not drive through standing water. The city asked drivers to stay off flooded roads and to take care around standing water.
  • Report a hazard or a pump problem to the Stormwater Division at AskStormwater@plantation.org or 954-797-2282.
  • Expect water to linger in low spots, especially in South Acres, even as the weather dries out. The city said recovery depends on canal levels downstream, not only on the rain stopping.