* This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting.
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          LIVING IN SOUTH LOUISIANA, IT'S IMPORTANT TO KNOW JUST HOW VITAL DRAINAGE IS FOR PRESERVING OUR WAY OF LIFE. 
          THE JEFFERSON PARISH DRAINAGE DEPARTMENT DOES THIS BY MAINTAINING THE FLOOD PROTECTION SYSTEM, WHICH IS MADE UP OF LEVEES CANALS AND PUMP STATIONS. 
          THE DRAINAGE DEPARTMENT SERVES THE PUBLIC DAILY BY PROTECTING LIVES AND PROPERTY. 
          DID YOU KNOW MOST OF JEFFERSON PARISHES BELOW SEA LEVEL? THE LAND HERE IS LOWER IN ELEVATION THAN THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER AND LAKE PONTCHARTRAIN. 
          WE ARE PRACTICALLY SURROUNDED BY WATER. 
          THIS REQUIRES HUMAN ENGINEERING TO KEEP US DRY. 
          THE JEFFERSON PARISH DRAINAGE DEPARTMENT ENSURES THAT EVERY DROP OF RAIN THAT FALLS IS PUMPED OUT TO PREVENT FLOODING WITHIN OUR LEVIED AREAS. 
          PUMP STATIONS ARE THE HEART OF THE DRAINAGE SYSTEM. 
          IN THE EVENT OF A HURRICANE, SAFETY INFRASTRUCTURE WILL KEEP OPERATORS FROM HARM. 
          THE DRAINAGE PUMP STATIONS HAVE 14 SAFE ROOMS. GIVEN OPERATORS THE ABILITY TO REMOTELY OPERATE ALL PUMP STATIONS, THESE SAFE ROOMS CAN WITHSTAND THE STRONGEST HURRICANES EXCEEDING 180 MILES AN HOUR OF WIND. 
          THE PARISH DRAINAGE SYSTEM IS DESIGNED FOR A 10 YEAR STORM, ROUGHLY EQUIVALENT TO ABOUT 9.4 INCHES OF RAIN IN A 24 HOUR PERIOD. 
          WHEN IT RAINS, THE WATER IS COLLECTED BY STREET CATCH BASINS AND UNDERGROUND PIPES. 
          FROM THERE, IT FLOWS BY GRAVITY TO LARGER COLLECTOR PIPES AND DITCHES THEN TO CANALS WHICH FLOW TO PUMP STATIONS. 
          PUMP STATION OPERATORS THEN START PUMPS AT PREDETERMINED LEVELS TO PUMP WATER OUT OF THE LEVEE PROTECTION SYSTEM. 
          EVEN WITH ALL PUMPS OPERATING AT FULL CAPACITY, THERE IS STILL A POSSIBILITY OF FLOODING. 
          IF RAINFALL EXCEEDS CAPACITY, THE DRAINAGE PUMP STATIONS HAVE THE ABILITY TO PUMP APPROXIMATELY 23 MILLION GALLONS OF WATER PER MINUTE OR 380,000 GALLONS PER SECOND. 
          THAT'S ENOUGH WATER TO FILL UP AN OLYMPIC-SIZED SWIMMING POOL IN TWO SECONDS. 
          THE DRAINAGE DEPARTMENT IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE OPERATION AND MAINTENANCE OF 74 DRAINAGE PUMP STATIONS CONTAINING 198 PUMPS. 
          THE EAST BANK HAS 39 PUMP STATIONS WITH A TOTAL OF 102 PUMPS, PROVIDING AN AVERAGE PUMPING CAPACITY OF ONE INCH THE FIRST HOUR AND A HALF AN INCH EVERY HOUR AFTER THE WEST BANK. 
          INSIDE THE LEVEE PROTECTED SYSTEM HAS 19 PUMP STATIONS CONTAINING 69 PUMPS, PROVIDING AN AVERAGE PUMPING CAPACITY OF ONE INCH, THE FIRST HOUR AND HALF AN INCH EVERY HOUR AFTER AND OUTSIDE THE LEVEE PROTECTION SYSTEM, WHICH INCLUDES CROWN POINT, LAFITTE, AND BARTER DRAINAGE HAS 16 PUMP STATIONS CONTAINING 27 PUMPS. 
          JEFF JEFFERSON PARISH HAS 340 MILES OF DRAINAGE, CANALS, DITCHES, AND CULVERTS. 
          THERE ARE 1,465 MILES OF STREET SUBSURFACE DRAINAGE. 
          THE DRAINAGE DEPARTMENT UTILIZES A SYSTEM TO MANAGE STORMWATER CALLED S SCADA. 
          S SCADA IS THE SUPERVISORY CONTROL AND DATA ACQUISITION SYSTEM. 
          IT PROVIDES REAL-TIME INFORMATION ON WATER LEVELS, RAIN INTENSITY, AND PUMP STATUS, GIVING OPERATORS THE TOOLS THEY NEED TO MONITOR STORMS. YOU CAN HELP THE JEFFERSON PARISH DRAINAGE DEPARTMENT BY CLEANING CLOGGED CATCH BASINS NEAR WHERE YOU LIVE. 
          NEVER THROW ANY TRASH OR DEBRIS INTO DRAINAGE CANALS AND STAY OFF THE ROADS DURING HEAVY RAINS. 
          THESE SIMPLE ACTIONS CAN MAKE A BIG DIFFERENCE WHEN THOSE SMALL DROPS OF RAIN DEVELOP INTO A TORRENTIAL DOWNPOUR. 
          BUT REST ASSURED, THE EMPLOYEES OF THE JEFFERSON PARISH DRAINAGE DEPARTMENT WILL BE ON DUTY TO KEEP YOU SAFE DURING ANY STORM.
* This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting.