BOYNTON BEACH, Fla. — The city of Boynton Beach is investing millions of dollars into helping with stormwater infrastructure throughout the city.
State funding of $16.5 million is going into a repair project at the San Castle neighborhood.
Another $7 million is in the budget for a drainage floor mitigation project slated for the Chapel Hill neighborhood.
Both areas are known to flood in Boynton Beach.
Tuesday the city dispatched drainage crews to prepare for a week of storms.
Large trucks could be seen stationed in portions of the Chapel Hill neighborhood in areas that appeared to be flooding.
"They're getting ready to remove excess storm water from the past rain event that just happened," said Reginald Jonas, Boynton Beach storm water coordinator. "We try to clear out the swales with the excess water, so when the next rain event comes, we have somewhere to store it before it overflows into the streets."
Jonas said they're expecting 3 to 4 inches of rain in Boynton Beach.
"With 3 to 4 predicted inches, how much could that equate to in a problem area?" asked WPTV reporter Joel Lopez.
"That would at least be like almost foot of water in the road cause that road, you wouldn't be able to drive a car through it," Jonas said.
It's an issue resident Antonio Ferrer has experienced living in the Boynton Beach San Castle neighborhood.
"How quickly would you say that this area floods?" asked Lopez.
"Really, really quick you know like maybe in a half hour," said Ferrer. "Sometimes you need a boat to ride it out."
As WPTV drove through the neighborhood on Tuesday, many driveways in San Castle were underwater.
"Your car is pretty low. Do you have trouble getting out of your neighborhood sometimes?" asked Lopez.
"Yes, I don't go anywhere. When it rains, I don't go, because it gets all into my car," Ferrer said.
He said during bigger floods, his brother with a truck has to pick him up from this house and drop him off at work.
He's even resorted to sandbags in his garage in case the water gets too high.
"I'm concerned that sooner or later this is going to get into my house and I'm going to have a lot of problems," said Ferrer. "They have to do something about it."
The city hopes the solution will come with the stormwater project that is currently in the design process.
"It's going to be a complete overhaul for the stormwater drainage over there," Boynton Beach Commissioner Thomas Turkin said.
He said the stormwater infrastructure in San Castle is very old and that the improvements will be all underground. Construction is expected to begin in San Castle as early as the end of the year.
"What's being done in San Castle now while we get this project underway?" asked Lopez.
"We're digging up swales, we're working on exfiltration, sloping, grading, digging trying to do what we can," Turkin said. "Obviously pumping like you see behind me."
