Orange County Public Works Stormwater Management Division Rainfall Program Summary January 1 - December 31, 2015 CONTENTS 2-2015 Rainfall Year in Review 3 - Major Accomplishments in 2015 4 - Spotlight on Conway 5 - Typical Rainfall Station - Rainfall Station Quick Facts 6 - A Brief History of the Rainfall Program - Glossary of Terms 7 - Rainfall Telemetry Map 8 - Rainfall Station Inventory 9 - Who Uses Our Data 10-2015 Monthly Totals 11 - Rainfall Summaries 12 - Future Plans - Need More Information? 13 - Our Partners & Acknowledgments WELCOME As a division, we are striving to be more streamlined and environmentally friendly. Along these lines we are now publishing in newsletter format to save paper and promote electronic delivery. In this report, we highlight our accomplishments and successes achieved over the past year, as well as detail our goals for sustainability and efficiency in the coming year. 1
2015 RAINFALL YEAR IN REVIEW In 2015, the countywide average rainfall (48.65 inches) was slightly below the normal rainfall of 50.73 inches established at the Orlando International Airport (OIA). Michael's Dam Conway Maitland OIA Jennifer O.C. National Hart Orange County Average Riverside Acres Shingle Creek Boggy Creek Spring Orlando Apopka Sheen Beauclair 0.00 10.00 Rainfall Totals 58.92 58.37 54.08 55.10 51.19 50.00 49.73 48.65 46.84 46.07 45.48 45.32 44.24 OIA Normal Rainfall 50.73" 44.21 42.87 42.83 20.00 30.00 40.00 50.00 60.00 Recorded Rainfall (inches) August was the wettest month of the year and exceeded the OIA monthly average rainfall by 5 inches. Rainfall totals were 10 inches above average at Conway. However, from October through December, the rainfall totals were well below normal. As can be seen in the Monthly Rainfall Departure graph (right), the cumulative countywide rainfall is compared to normal rainfall throughout the year. The cumulative total varied widely between June and December. The year ended in a below-average annual total as noted above. Rainfall (Inches) 13.0 11.0 9.0 7.0 5.0 3.0 1.0-1.0-3.0 Monthly Rainfall Departure JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC OIA Monthly Normal Rainfall 2015 Monthly Countywide Averages Cumulative Deviation 2
MAJOR ACCOMPLISHMENTS IN 2015 New Location Orange Blossom Trail 1 The equipment for new rainfall stations have been installed at nine locations countywide and will be operational by Summer 2016. These locations coincide with County stormwater pump stations which already have telemetry capabilities. This expansion will benefit Stormwater s ongoing Watershed Master Plan Updates by establishing a correlation between rainfall amounts and pump station operation. 2 The entire telemetry system was upgraded by replacing all of the 2G wireless modems and radio frequency antennas at our rainfall and pump stations with 4G wireless modems. This allows for faster reporting and more efficient data storage and analysis. N. Orlando Pkwy 3 The new Orange Blossom Rainfall Station: Through our close partnership with Orange County Environmental Protection Division (EPD), we have relocated the Orlando Rainfall Station to the north end of the lake (near Cinderlane Parkway & Orange Blossom Trail). This will enable EPD to monitor water quality at a critical sampling location and piggyback on our existing telemetry to communicate these measurements back to the office. Old Location S. Orlando Pkwy 3
SPOTLIGHT ON LAKE CONWAY Conway received more than 17 inches of rainfall in August, as compared to the expected 7.13 inches (reference value at OIA). This caused elevated stages that exceeded the lake s normal high water elevation (NHWE) and raised concerns from residents living on the lake. The stage is continuously recorded at the Conway Rainfall Station and Stormwater Management Division staff was able to quickly note the elevated lake level. To temporarily relieve the high water level, the weir boards at the Conway s Daetwyler Road and the downstream Mare Prairie outfall structures were removed. This was performed in strict accordance with the operating schedule defined in the South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD) permit. As soon as the lake level fell to the NHWE, the weir boards were reinstalled to maintain normal water levels and minimize impact to downstream areas. As a follow up with those affected residents, County staff attended the October 13th Advisory Board meeting of the Conway Water and Navigation Control District. Staff reviewed the water level history of Conway, described the County s response to elevated lake levels and answered general inquiries about Conway. Mare Prairie Outfall Weir 4
TYPICAL RAINFALL STATION Each of the County s 14 rainfall stations are strategically located to maximize coverage of the County, with considerations for ease of access / equipment calibration and susceptibility to vandalism. All collected data is transmitted from each station via cellular modem. With this technology, it is possible to monitor the stations in real-time from the Stormwater Management Division office and address problems as they occur. Rainfall station assembly at Orange Blossom location Tipping Bucket Cellular Antenna 20 Watt Solar Panel Enclosure (stainless steel) Measurement and Control Datalogger Cellular Modem Voltage Regulator Dessicant Packages (to control moisture) 12 Volt Battery Enclosure box at Hart location RAINFALL STATION QUICK FACTS 14 stations total Nine future stations to be online in 2016 Currently located in 10 of the County s 12 drainage basins Stations utilize solar panels for power Data is measured in five-minute increments Stations send rainfall measurements to Orange County servers three times per day Data is transmitted by cellular (4G) Station maintenance checks are performed every three months Rain gauge calibrations are performed every six months 5
A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE RAINFALL PROGRAM Rainfall program began with 5 stations, staff visited stations 1986 - on a regular basis to download data 1987 - Expansion to 9 stations 1993 - Expansion to 10 stations 1995 - Conversion to solar panel for power source 1998-2001 - Conversion of equipment to transmit data by telephone modems 2001 - Stormwater Management Division received grant funding from Florida Department of Community Affairs to install radio frequency (RF) devices for real time communication 2002 - Expansion to 14 stations with radios, collection frequency increased from 15 minutes to 5 minutes 2007 - Installed water quality probes at 2 locations for EPD data collection 2010 - Grant funding from Orange County Fire Department was used to replace radios to comply with FCC regulations 2009 - First customer survey administered 2011 - Began monthly and annual rainfall report distribution by email 2012 - Replaced RF equipment with 2G wireless technology at Apopka & Beauclair stations due to RF interference issues. 2012 - Implementation of internal web-based data viewer Vista Data Vision to monitor rainfall system 2015-2016 - Upgraded all stations to 4G wireless communication GLOSSARY OF TERMS EPD: Orange County Environmental Protection Division FCC: Federal Communications Commission GOAA: Greater Orlando Aviation Authority NHWE: Normal High Water Elevation, elevation of a natural surface waterbody during normal hydrological conditions (See Orange County Code of Ordinances, Chapter 30, Article IX, Sec. 30-308) Normal Rainfall: A historical average annual rainfall amount established by NOAA s National Weather Service (50.73 ). This 30-year baseline was determined from data collected at OIA between 1981 and 2010. OIA: Orlando International Airport RF: Radio Frequency SFWMD: South Florida Water Management District Storm event: a rainfall event that does not have a gap or inter-event dry period of more than four continuous hours (from Rainfall Analysis for Efficient Retention Ponds, Jacobsen et al., 1988) 6
RAINFALL TELEMETRY MAP 6 Wekiva River Drainage Basin Wekiwa River LEGEND 1. Jennifer 2. Michael s Dam 3. Maitland 4. Riverside Acres 5. Orlando 6. Beauclair 7. Apopka 8. Orange County Natonal 9. Sheen 10. Spring 11. Shingle Creek 12. Boggy Creek 13. Conway 14. Hart Apopka Drainage Basin Apopka 7 414 4 429 5 4 3 Howell Branch Drainage Little Wekiva Basin Drainage Basin Existing Rainfall Stations 417 2 Future Stations St. Johns River FLORIDA S TURNPIKE 429 408 408 408 Little Econ Drainage Basin 8 Reedy Creek Drainage Basin 429 Butler Down Cypress Creek Drainage Basin Tibet Butler 9 4 FLORIDA S TURNPIKE 10 417 11 4 528 Shingle Creek Drainage Basin FLORIDA S TURNPIKE 12 Conway 13 Boggy Creek Drainage Basin 528 417 417 Hart Drainage Basin Hart 14 Mary Jane River Econlockhatchee 1 Big Econ Drainage Basin 528 St Johns River Drainage Basin St. Johns River 7
RAINFALL STATION INVENTORY Jennifer (1) Big Econ Drainage Basin Installed 2012 Located on Jennifer Michael s Dam (2) Little Econ Drainage Basin Installed 1986 Measures rainfall, stage & flow Located in Blanchard Park Maitland (3) Howell Branch Drainage Basin Installed 1987 Measures rainfall, stage & flow Located on Horatio Avenue Riverside Acres (4) Little Wekiva Drainage Basin Installed 1989 Measures rainfall, stage & flow Located south of Pembrook Drive Orlando (5) Little Wekiva Drainage Basin Installed 1989 Replaced with the Orange Blossom Station in late 2015 Beauclair (6) Apopka Drainage Basin Installed 1995 Located at Trimble Park dock Apopka (7) Apopka Drainage Basin Installed 2002 Measures rainfall Located at Magnolia Park Orange Co. National (8) Reedy Creek Drainage Basin Installed 2002 Measures rainfall Located at Orange County National Golf Course Sheen (9) Cypress Creek Drainage Basin Installed 2002 Measures rainfall & stage Located at West Beach Park Spring (10) Shingle Creek Drainage Basin Installed 1989 & flow Located at Sand Road Lift Station (Continued on next page) 8
RAINFALL STATION FACTS (Continued) Shingle Creek (11) Shingle Creek Drainage Basin Installed 1987 Located on Conroy Road Boggy Creek (12) Boggy Creek Drainage Basin Installed 1987 Located on Landstar Boulevard Conway (13) Boggy Creek Drainage Basin Installed 2002 Located on Daetwyler Road Hart (14) Hart Drainage Basin Installed 1995 Located at Moss Park entrance WHO USES OUR DATA More than 100 subscribers receive our annual and monthly reports. County subscribers include Commissioners offices and other divisions within Orange County. Other governments also receive our data as well as engineering consulting firms, utility companies, media and interested citizens. Our first customer survey was administered in 2009 to gauge customer satisfaction. Overall, there was positive feedback and most subscribers found the rainfall information useful to meet their needs. There was varied uses of this information, the most interesting of which was to help search parties look for missing persons (Orange County Parks and Recreation). Gov t Local 7% County 56% Gov t State 9% Gov t Federal 1% Media 1% Consultant 20% Contractor 1% Misc 2% Utility 2% 9
2015 MONTHLY TOTALS Station Name JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC TOTAL Jennifer 2.00 4.72 1.77 5.56 1.25 5.90 7.87 10.34 6.82 0.25 3.84 0.87 51.19 Michael s Dam 3.69 4.47 1.05 5.34 0.99 4.91 11.35 13.70 6.24 0.46 5.03 1.69 58.92 Maitland 3.08 4.96 1.13 4.91 1.41 4.32 10.23 13.75 8.40 0.88 1.56 0.47 55.10 Riverside Acres 2.86 4.44 0.75 2.80 0.89 4.60 9.16 12.07 7.25 0.38 1.26 0.38 46.84 Orlando 3.50 4.95 0.50 3.09 0.95 3.85 9.19 10.38 6.16 0.39 1.00 0.28 44.24 Beauclair 3.09 3.18 1.09 2.56 1.26 4.21 7.72 11.26 5.44 1.00 1.83 0.19 42.83 Apopka 1.65 3.76 0.87 2.78 2.59 4.68 9.54 10.41 6.38 0.38 0.87 0.30 44.21 Orange Co. National 1.94 4.86 1.34 4.99 0.54 6.04 7.44 13.41 6.33 0.94 1.68 0.49 50.00 Sheen 2.87 5.37 0.90 3.93 0.75 6.87 4.04 11.61 4.33 0.82 0.81 0.57 42.87 Spring 3.09 4.74 0.58 3.00 0.93 8.93 6.65 9.61 5.43 0.68 1.11 0.57 45.32 Shingle Creek 3.99 4.69 0.70 2.82 1.73 9.72 6.13 10.43 3.08 0.77 1.47 0.54 46.07 Boggy Creek 3.32 4.91 0.51 3.50 0.36 7.16 5.32 13.60 3.22 0.96 2.11 0.51 45.48 Conway 4.12 4.88 0.68 5.70 1.31 6.29 6.78 17.42 6.53 0.49 2.59 1.58 58.37 Hart 2.94 4.29 0.93 5.68 0.57 6.60 8.77 12.40 4.21 0.38 2.33 0.63 49.73 2015 County Average 3.01 4.59 0.91 4.05 1.11 6.01 7.87 12.17 5.70 0.63 1.96 0.65 48.65 OIA Normal Rainfall 2.35 2.38 3.77 2.68 3.45 7.58 7.27 7.13 6.06 3.31 2.17 2.58 50.73 Deviation From OIA Normal Rainfall 0.66 2.21-2.86 1.37-2.34-1.57 0.60 5.04-0.36-2.68-0.21-1.93-2.08 NOTES: 1.) All the above data are in inches. 2.) Numbers highlighted in yellow represent adjusted values to account for non-recorded or bad data points. Contact Frank Fortunato (see page 12) for the source data for these values. Rainfall totals (by day and by storm event) stage Flow WHAT WE MEASURE Water quality parameters, including temperature, conductivity, ph and dissolved oxygen (at select locations and managed by EPD) Daily rainfall totals can be found online at www.orange.wateratlas.usf.edu/ 10
RAINFALL SUMMARIES from 162 Recorded Storms Rainfall Amount Summary [ 1.01-2.00 in ] 11 Events 7% [ Greater than 2.00 in ] 3 Events 2% Rainfall Duration Summary [ Greater than 6.00 hr ] 16 Events 10% QUICK FACT: 90% of storm events in Central Florida receive 1 inch or less of rainfall [ 0.11-1.0 in ] 62 Events 38% [ Less than 0.10 in ] 86 Events 53% [ 1.01-6.00 hr ] 59 Events 37% [ 0.26-1 hr ] 26 Events 16% [ Less than 0.25 hr ] 60 Events 37% 2 in. 1 in..10 in. 11
1. 2. 3. 4. FUTURE PLANS Bring the new rain gauge equipment installed at 9 pump stations countywide online. Evaluate the cost effectiveness of upgrading our rainfall stations to increase data transmission from three times per day to every five minutes. Explore the option to share our data online in real-time to facilitate the distribution of data and streamline our work efforts on data requests. Coordinate with EPD to relocate selected stations to measure water quality in critical areas of the County. In conjunction with this effort, we are also considering adding new stations to the rainfall network in critical riverine environments. They would include water quality probes and possibly stream flow gauges. 5. Increase subscribership for our rainfall reports. 6. The County is looking for ways to streamline our efforts and improve our services for the Rainfall Program. Our goals for the coming year are: Distribute another customer survey to gauge interest and gather recommendations on how to improve our program to meet the needs of our users NEED MORE INFORMATION? The data provided in this report is a brief summary of the data collected over the past year. For more detailed information or to subscribe to our rainfall reports, please contact: Frank Fortunato 407-836-7748 Frank.Fortunato@ocfl.net 12
OUR PARTNERS and Orange County Environmental Protection Division Orange County Utilities This report was prepared by the Rainfall Team: Rodney J. Lynn, P.E., CFM Manager Mike Drozeck, P.E., CFM Chief Engineer Kelly Nowell, P.E., CFM, LEED AP Senior Engineer Frank Fortunato Engineering Technician IV With acknowledgments to our Operations Team: Jeff Charles, FPEM Public Works Coordinator Dave McMullen Senior Foreman Lee Owens Foreman 13