2026-11-02 - Infrastructure Advisory Board
Summary
- Opening business: the temporary chair presided after the remote chair yielded. The agenda was approved as written and the October 5 minutes were approved as amended, replacing wording about a "legacy force main" with air release valve.
- Utility system status: staff reported a cast-iron water main incident, a separated service lateral, and two gate valves with saltwater-corroded bolts that failed on Las Olas Boulevard and near Southwest 7th Street; these were attachment and valve failures, not pipe breaks, and the Las Olas failure caused a multi-hour shutdown. Staff are moving to stainless steel saddles and components, starting with Isle of Venice after the new year. Reported sewer overflows included 3,000 gallons at 5601 Powerline Road and 500 gallons near Las Olas that reached the Intracoastal through a storm drain. See Water Main and Sewer Overflow Incidents.
- GTL wastewater and wet weather: no discharges from the GTL plant or the deep-well pipeline since the last report, despite flows reaching the low 80s MGD. The redundant 60-inch force main is connected at all five injection wells; the final connection at the plant is planned for December and needs a two-day bypass. See GTL Wastewater and Odor Control.
- GTL odor control: four new hydrogen sulfide monitors on the plant boundary run 24/7 with no hits so far, staff continue sniff tests, a floating odorizer was trialed at scum stations, and the pre-treatment building odor-control project is not yet operational.
- King tide and flood readiness: the city's resilience staff reported last week's observed peak tide of 3.09 ft, about 1.5 ft above prediction and the highest since the gauge was installed in 2018. Projections cited were 10-17 inches of sea-level rise by 2040 and 21-40 inches by 2070. City actions include inspecting 215 tidal valves about eight times a year, seawall master planning, an adaptive seawall ordinance and elevated lift-station panels. Members discussed private seawalls, affordability, equity and slow enforcement (about 40 citations in 10 years). A member proposed asking the City Commission to explore financial partnerships with waterfront owners to accelerate private seawall raising; wording was adjusted and the draft was deferred to the next meeting with no vote. See Sea Level Rise and Seawall Readiness.
- Sidewalk master plan: Tier 1 and 2 needs of 88 miles were narrowed by single-side feasibility to about 38 miles across 42 neighborhoods. Implementation uses neighborhood outreach, an annual project pipeline and stacked funding including CIP, bond leverage, grants, legislative appropriations and $3 million in surtax funds. See Sidewalk Master Plan Implementation.
- Prospect Lake clean water plant: started operating September 8 at 10 MGD, increased to 20 MGD, and the Five Ash plant was shut off October 8, making the city's supply fully membrane-treated. The ribbon cutting was October 15. Contract capacity is 50 MGD, with FY27 average use planned near 36 MGD and Peele Dixie kept at about 6 MGD; more than 40 staff operate the plant 24/7. See Prospect Lake Water Treatment Plant Financing.
- Schedule: members were unsure whether a December meeting normally occurs; December 7 was mentioned but not confirmed. The meeting adjourned.
Agenda
See the Legistar calendar entry in Sources.
Sources
- Legistar meeting calendar (agendas, action summaries and minutes by meeting): https://fortlauderdale.legistar.com/Calendar.aspx
- City Commission meetings page: https://www.fortlauderdale.gov/Government/City-Commission-Meetings
- City of Fort Lauderdale YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@CityofFortLauderdale