The City of Ormond Beach, Florida partnered with Opti to maximise flood storage in its five interconnected Central Park Lakes. These lakes are essential flood control infrastructure, diverting runoff away from homes and streets within a 550 acre drainage area. Opti software assists the City’s emergency response team and controls the water level in the lakes to protect the local community from flood risk.
THE CHALLENGE
In 2009, a hurricane unleashed over 27 inches of rain on the Laurel Creek Watershed. The flooding inundated approximately 79 buildings and several critical roads. With the assistance of FEMA and coordination with various City departments, an upgrade project was undertaken to address not only the flooding issues but provide the ability to upgrade utilities within the area, enhance park elements, and bring the existing roadway up to current city standards.
THE SOLUTION
In an effort to further minimise the risk of flooding and to fully take advantage of the storage potential associated with the five interconnect lakes, the City implemented Opti’s forecast-based control solution. Opti software predicts stormwater runoff ahead of wet weather and uses that information to create extra storage capacity in the Central Park Lakes. In the 48 hours leading up to storms, Opti can command a pump station to release up to 70 acre-feet of water to prevent the Lakes from overflow into the surrounding neighbourhood.
RESULTS
By implementing OptiRTC’s solutions, the City of Ormond Beach was able to realise economic benefits, as well as increase resiliency and peace of mind:
- 98% Savings: $200k vs. $8M in capital expenditures
- 70 ac-ft Active Storage: Forecast based pre-event drawdown volume
- Hurricane-Ready: Keeping property, residents, and emergency response workers out of harm’s way using
remote management
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