November 25, 2019 By Katie Roundtree

The Staff at Northern Palm Beach County Improvement District work hard to maintain the stormwater systems and infrastructure within their areas of responsibility. Northern also has a responsibility to protect the environment where we live and work. Given that responsibility, many of our systems are designed for environmental sustainability.  Electric stormwater pumps, propane generators and remote telemetry operations of stormwater equipment are a few of the many ways that Northern limits its impact on the environment.

Stormwater pumps are used to move excess stormwater out of an area to eventually deposit in a larger downstream body of water. These pumps range in size from 25-horsepower pumps to massive 150-horsepower pumps. They move from 2,000 to 35,000 gallons of water per minute!  Pump stations in some areas have two pumps, one for redundancy, while others can have up to six pumps. That’s a lot of water moving at one time!  When these pump stations were first constructed, most of the pumps were run by diesel engines. They were loud, messy and dangerous machines. High pressure hydraulic lines could burst creating a safety hazard for staff as well as the potential for the hydraulic oil to contaminate the nearby waterways. Diesel engines create noxious exhaust and use fossil fuels to power them.  Both hydraulic oil and diesel fuel are also flammable as well. Over the years, Northern has replaced older diesel driven hydraulic pumps with direct drive electric pumps. Not only are these pumps more efficient; they are also more environmentally friendly.

Northern’s Emergency Operations Center was designed and built to withstand a Category 5 hurricane and provide a safe working environment for essential staff during and after the storm.  Power loss and power fluctuations are common in severe storms.  This can damage electrical equipment and sensitive computerized systems.  The Emergency Operations Center has a generator that will power the building during period of power outages or fluctuations. This generator runs using natural gas rather than diesel fuel.  This is a more reliable and cleaner fuel for running this type of generator.

In 1998, Northern initiated its SCADA Telemetry System. With the original investment, four remote telemetry units were constructed in Ibis Golf and Country Club, as well as a central base station at Northern’s headquarters.  Over the past 21 years, the telemetry system has been expanded to 69 remote sites spread throughout Northern’s jurisdiction. The remote telemetry units monitor water levels, and have programmed logic to adjust those levels using operable gates and stormwater pumps. The telemetry units can also be operated with computers at a central location or out in the field. This allows staff to minimize the number of trips out to various sites using fuel powered vehicles.

Northern Palm Beach County Improvement District is committed to environmental sustainability and is always looking for ways to improve current functions.  Northern is dedicated to utilizing progressive science and technology to accomplish that goal.