Records from the Lehigh Acres MSID, the local agency that handles water control, show that January’s rainfall figures were record breaking, not seen here before.

The heavy rainfall during the last two days of the month added to the already record amounts of rain. But thanks to the work of the water control system and its crews, there were no reports of heavy flooding such as was reported in areas in Cape Coral, Fort Myers Beach and Fort Myers.

During January, the district recorded an average of between 11 and 12 inches of rain compared to the historical monthly averages of just under two inches.

Lehigh Acres MSID District Manager, David Lindsay said the El Nino weather pattern has been the culprit for this wet winter.

In one day, Lindsay said the district recorded 2.75 inches of rain.

And this is not the rainy season but weather watchers are blaming El Nino for all the snow up from the south to the north and all the rain in Florida, in addition to an increase in tornadoes and thunder storm.

In a report from the Lehigh Acres MSID, in a heavy rain event, the district works to reduce the threat of flooding by providing draining; to do so, the district begins pumping water into its retention areas to reduce flooding potential, Lindsay said.

According to the report released last week, it noted that as of Thursday, January 28, the district began dropping levels in the stormwater canal system and had not received any reports of flooding within the district boundaries.

The report noted that Lehigh Acres MSID is a multi-county Chapter 189 District created by the state legislature to provide drainage and flood control; conservation and mitigation, irrigation, navigation, and limited parks services to Lehigh and western Hendry County.

The district manages and maintains an expansive water management system comprised of 311 miles of canals, 20 lakes, 1,298 preserve acres, several parks and a variety of infrastructure such as 360 culverts, 22 bridges, and 66 water control structures within 70,000 acres of land

Moving water to meet varying conditions and needs is essential to sustaining the local environment, officials at Lehigh Acres MSIDS said.