David Lindsay

Florida weather is often temperamental.

That’s a characteristic the Lehigh Acres Municipal Services Improvement District is very familiar with monitoring.

An annual snapshot of the area’s rainfall, beginning on January 1, 2015 indicates the year kicked off with a slow start. However, beginning in June, rainfall totals were on the rise with a reported yearly rainfall total of 28.08 to Aug. 4.

“We are only a little more than half way through the year, so it is hard to predict where Lehigh Acres will stand in total yearly rainfall,” said LA-MSID District Manager David E. Lindsay. “Traditional summer showers and any potential storms can increase this number significantly during the remainder of the traditional wet season.”

The state’s average annual rainfall is benchmarked at 55 inches. In 2013, LA-MSID experienced 57.19 average inches of rainfall – just more than the state average – whereas, in 2014, the district experienced 44.23 inches of rainfall – 11 inches shy of the state average.

Florida’s wet season typically runs from mid-June through mid-September and accounts for more than two-thirds of South Florida’s rain total during an average year. According to Lindsay, a healthy wet season provides the necessary recharge to local aquifers and offsets the depletion experienced during dry season.

LA-MSID is a multi-county Chapter 189 Improvement District serving Lehigh Acres and western Hendry County. The district manages and maintains an expansive water management system comprised of 311 miles of canals, 20 lakes, 1,298 preserves acres, several parks and a variety of infrastructure such as 360 culverts, 22 bridges, and 66 water control structures.

Moving water to meet varying conditions and needs is essential to sustaining the local environment.

LA-MSID constantly monitors weather to make the best decisions for its water management system and records annual rainfall totals.

“It has been a number of years since we have seen a normal wet season where there are consistent showers each afternoon, said William Walker, LA-MSID water resource manager.

LA-MSID staff maintains and manages Lehigh Acres canals, waterways and rights-of-ways to help provide drainage prevent flooding and provide recharge to aquifers. Through the vast 70,000-acre plus district, LA-MSID staff is constantly monitoring water levels to determine the best way to move water through its system.

LA-MSID water level monitoring technicians are able to remotely access rain data and control structures using computer telemetry and radio based telemetry.

Telemetry is the science and technology of automatic measurement and transmission of data by wire, radio, or other means from remote sources.

According to Lindsay, LA-MSID has elevated its level of service with advanced technology on water control structures built in the last 10 years. These structures have automated gates which can be remotely opened and shut providing the ability to release and/or store water quickly.

The increased rainfall experienced during rainy season is often times enough to meet the maintenance needs of most lawns and landscapes. Residents are encouraged to reset irrigation timers for shorter watering times, fewer days during the rainy season.

Although South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD) currently does have water shortage restrictions in place for its 16-county area, residents should be following the Year-Round Landscape Irrigation Rule.

For residents in unincorporated Lee Count y such as Lehigh, the following irrigation rule is as follows:

If your home address ends with an odd number (1,3,5,7,9), you may water Wednesdays and/or Saturdays from midnight to 9 a.m. and/or 5 p.m. until midnight.

If your home address ends with an even number (0,2,4,6,8) or no address, you may water Thursday and or Sundays from midnight to 9 a.m. and/or 5 p.m. until midnight.

Additional information on water restrictions for Lee County can be found at: www.leegov.com/gov/dept/Utilities/Pages/WaterRestrictions.aspx.