Page 1 - The Shores of Jupiter - September '23

Our Village Voice

VOL. 34 NO. 9 www.seabreezepublications.com SEPTEMBER 2023

commissioner’s update Bill’s Box

Recycling Right P alm Beach By Bill Thompson
County achieved the
By Commissioner highest recycling Bill has run into some
Maria Marino rate of Florida’s 67 complications and is
The mission of the Solid counties for calendar unable to write Bill’s
Waste Authority (SWA), for year 2022, at an Box this month.
which I serve as vice chair, overall recycling rate Bill will be back next
is to manage the materials of 80 percent. This is a result of the highly successful month, come hell or
discarded by residents residential and commercial recycling programs, and the high water..
and businesses of Palm performance of waste-to-energy facilities in recovering *****
Beach County according metals and energy from waste. Further contributing to copy deadline For
to legislative mandate and this success was the performance of permitted partners, october is Sept. 13
following applicable local, for-profit, and not-for-profit entities who recovered and
state and federal ordinances, put yard waste, construction and demolition debris, and
regulations and laws. concrete into beneficial use.
Our goal is to reduce the amount of waste that goes It has been our mission at SWA over the years to preserve
to landfills for disposal, and provide services that are landfill capacity, recover valuable resources, and manage
environmentally responsible and fiscally sound. An important the county’s waste right here. Most importantly, thanks goes
part of meeting that goal is our recycling program. This to the residents and businesses of Palm Beach County for
involves separating materials from the waste stream, either at supporting what we do at SWA, and for “recycling right.”
the source or by recovering materials from mixed waste prior Please contact me if I can assist you at (561) 355-2201
to disposal, and turning those materials into commodities. or by email at mmarino@pbcgov.org.
northern notes

culverts – integral parts of a channeled from a water source into your home or garden. Or concrete) in a load-bearing capacity, for example under roads
another example, just like our bodies, the stormwater system
with heavy traffic. HDPE or concrete culverts are the best
Stormwater System has arteries, a heart, and flow. Our culverts are the veins and options for drainage purposes, due to their cost-effectiveness
pump stations are the hearts. If our veins are clogged our heart and longevity.
By Katie Roundtree, works harder and puts stress on the rest of our system. The Culverts are designed with life spans of 30 to 100
Director of Finance and same concept applies to culverts. Culverts allow stormwater years. However, due to stressors such as environmental
Administration, Northern to move underground from place to place. They can connect conditions and increased usage, these systems can fail
Palm Beach County one lake to another or road drains to a lake. They can move causing contamination, leaks or even sinkholes. So how do
Improvement District water from one location to another to dry out an area for we stop these potential issues? Maintenance is key! Regular
Culverts are an integral development or ensure safe travel along roadways. inspections and cleaning help avoid disruption or costly
pa rt of st orm wa t e r Several types of culverts exist and are widely used today, repairs.
infrastructure across such as box culverts, arch culverts, and bridge culverts to The staff at Northern work diligently to provide routine
Florida. These often-hidden name a few. The most commonly used are pipe culverts. Used inspections and maintenance to our drainage systems.
structures have shaped for drainage or electrical routing, these tunnel-like structures Inspections can be performed using cameras atop remote
Florida’s landscape by are buried alongside or underneath roadways. Pipes are made operated vehicles (ROV) or by trained divers. If a threat to
creating areas for growth using various materials such as metal, concrete or plastic and the lifespan and operation of the culvert is found, it can be
and development. But what is a culvert? Where are they? vary in length and diameter. remediated with cleaning or repairing.
What do they do? In this article we will dive into the world of Many years ago, most of the existing drainage systems So, what can we do to help our communities preserve
culverts and how they relate to Northern Palm Beach County utilized CMP (corrugated metal pipe). However, due to culvert systems? Keep storm drains free of debris, refrain
Improvement District’s abilities to provide exceptional fluctuating water levels these pipes often succumb to from dumping any chemicals into the waterways and most
services to the communities we manage. corrosion. To combat this issue, CMP pipes are replaced important of all, report any areas of concern to the district.
Culverts are similar to the water pipes used to provide with HDPE (high density polyethylene), a plastic designed Together, we can ensure our stormwater infrastructure will
water to a house. Pipes underground allow water to be to be chemical and erosion resistant, or RCP (reinforced remain intact for years to come.
Special thanks to our Operations Supervisor – Stormwater
Greg Sale for his contributions to this article and Kim
Morgan, for drafting the article.

RepoRt SuSpiciouS activity immediately
to the JupiteR police depaRtment

(561) 799-4445

Use 911 for emergencies only. Lock car doors.
Do not leave valuables in the car.