Welcome to City-Data.com Forum!
U.S. CitiesCity-Data Forum Index
Go Back   City-Data Forum > U.S. Forums > Florida > Fort Lauderdale area
 [Register]
Fort Lauderdale area Broward County
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
View detailed profile (Advanced) or search
site with Google Custom Search

Search Forums  (Advanced)
Reply Start New Thread
 
Old 11-23-2009, 10:46 AM
 
Location: Macao
16,284 posts, read 42,954,513 times
Reputation: 10231

Advertisements

Looking at google maps, it seems there are small bodies of water all over the place...

Which makes me wonder...is flooding an issue?

It also seems like there are tons of great places for alligators, right?

Looking at google maps, almost all of the better looking homes seem to be right on some kind of body or water or another - inland lakes, etc. in particular.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message

 
Old 11-23-2009, 12:31 PM
 
157 posts, read 485,500 times
Reputation: 81
Most or all the lakes you see in neighborhoods are man made. Years ago they were called rock pits and there were signs posted with skull cross bones saying no swimming. Many kids drowned in rock pits. That was because the land developer was not required to taper the bank so the second you walked in you were very in deep water. Nothing to hold onto except sharp limestone rocks,hence rock pit. Today developers must taper the shoreline and by law the can only dig to a depth allowed. They have to mitigate with sod, plants and soil. Further the (lakes) can not be used for toxic waste as in the past. Now living on these lakes is very desirable and one must pay a pemium for the lake front property.
The lakes are dug for the limestone and sand as fill for the surrounding homes. It makes a very good hard pack foundation.Lakes are also used for retention ponds for rain run off. Some of these lakes, culverts and storm drains empty into the many canals. The canals are also man made and used for flooding. Some cities have installed storm drains that are piped to these canals thus preventing flooding.
Alligators will go in these lakes but many HOA`s hire a professional alligator trapper. Unfortunately in my neighborhood once an alligator is seen its days are numbered because the alligator hunter promptly comes out.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 11-23-2009, 11:08 PM
 
Location: Macao
16,284 posts, read 42,954,513 times
Reputation: 10231
Are there still some rock pits that are of the old style...or once they set new standards, had to go back and change all of the old rock pit styles?

What is the depth allowed now?

Generally speaking, are these used...for example, for swimming? Or is it just more of a pit that you wouldn't dare use?
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 11-24-2009, 03:18 PM
 
4 posts, read 18,140 times
Reputation: 13
The rock pits were created from dredging the dirt , the dirt was used for roads and foundations for homes. The water table in South Florida is about 5 feet below the surface, there are no basements here under the houses. There are alligators mostly west of University Drive and all the way west across the stae into the everglades. ON the east side of Florida it is Salt Water, no alligators there. Although some Caymans (crocs) have been spotted in Miami area near Biscayne Bay. People do not swin in these "rock pits" the are mostly nice mincured lakes now that are shallow and are stocked with fish. Bass, Brim, etc. It is common for people to find exotic species of fish in these lakes. Piranhas, Pacu, Northern Snakehead, etc.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 11-25-2009, 12:45 AM
 
Location: Macao
16,284 posts, read 42,954,513 times
Reputation: 10231
Quote:
Originally Posted by jomatt View Post
The rock pits were created from dredging the dirt , the dirt was used for roads and foundations for homes. The water table in South Florida is about 5 feet below the surface, there are no basements here under the houses. There are alligators mostly west of University Drive and all the way west across the stae into the everglades. ON the east side of Florida it is Salt Water, no alligators there. Although some Caymans (crocs) have been spotted in Miami area near Biscayne Bay. People do not swin in these "rock pits" the are mostly nice mincured lakes now that are shallow and are stocked with fish. Bass, Brim, etc. It is common for people to find exotic species of fish in these lakes. Piranhas, Pacu, Northern Snakehead, etc.
Crazy, Piranha, etc.

Sounds like having kids, you'd have problems trying to keep them from playing around in the water though...and doesn't sound like something to play around with...

Or do most kids end up getting to know these waterlife areas and all that is in them inside and out?
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 11-25-2009, 07:29 AM
 
Location: Broward County
2,517 posts, read 11,011,996 times
Reputation: 1391
that is why every month or so a car goes into a canal or lake.....
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 11-27-2009, 08:36 PM
 
3,910 posts, read 9,420,883 times
Reputation: 1954
Tiger>

1. Nobody swims in those lakes, except for young adventurous boys playing around. They are very dirty and are ridden with snakes (some poisonous such as the Cottonmouth/water moccasin), alligators, and agricultural runoff and other wastes. I grew up on lakefront property, and took my chances as a kid, but you live and learn. We used to get an alligator in there every now and then, maybe once every other year. But there are trappers you can call to get them out, or just call the local police.

2. Most of these lakes you see on maps are man-made and are connected through a complex network of underwater pipes to nearby canals, ditches, retention ponds, or creeks for drainage purposes. That's how the alligators sometimes get into them through the pipes underwater. The canals eventually lead to larger canals which connect Lake Okeechobee to the Atlantic Ocean. If you look closer at a larger map of South FL, you will see numerous canals that run from Lake O. to the Atlantic through every major area. There is one, for example, on the Broward/Palm Beach County line. Ultimately, most bodies of water in South FL connect somehow to these series of canals. It actually helps drainage during times of storms and flooding.

3. Alligators live in freshwater only, which includes these lakes, retention ponds, canals, and other freshwater bodies. You don't need to worry about them in saltwater in the Atlantic, or the Intracoastal Waterway. They are far less prevalent in developed areas, so most of them are out west and in the Everglades. Still, many reside in those canals you see along the highways. Never ever let your kids swim in those, and keep your pets away. Alligators love to eat dogs and other pets. If you want a safe place to observe alligators for family fun, take a drive to lake Okeechobee and there are some places where you can stand up on an observation area and look down on Alligator infested retention ponds surrounding the lake.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 11-28-2009, 12:03 AM
 
Location: Macao
16,284 posts, read 42,954,513 times
Reputation: 10231
Being a person with a very active young baby boy...and considering Broward County...it seems that for a want-to-be-homeowner and raising a kid...I WOULD end up out on the western fringes going towards the Everglades - while trying to be as reasonably close to the ocean as I can afford without compromising safety.

However, viewing google maps, these canals and retention ponds and such seem to be almost everywhere and unavoidable. Kinda like if you have kids, they are bound to explore and find out what those are all about.

Now I'm really understanding the snakes, the crocodiles and everything else...and the stories of something eating the family dog
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 11-28-2009, 05:21 AM
 
59 posts, read 155,520 times
Reputation: 43
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tiger Beer View Post
Being a person with a very active young baby boy...and considering Broward County...it seems that for a want-to-be-homeowner and raising a kid...I WOULD end up out on the western fringes going towards the Everglades - while trying to be as reasonably close to the ocean as I can afford without compromising safety.

However, viewing google maps, these canals and retention ponds and such seem to be almost everywhere and unavoidable. Kinda like if you have kids, they are bound to explore and find out what those are all about.

Now I'm really understanding the snakes, the crocodiles and everything else...and the stories of something eating the family dog
I spent many of my teenage years running around and exploring Broward County and I've only seen two Alligators.

The first one was in Welleby Park the second was in Markham Park. You'll be fine as long as the kid knows that canals are to be avoided.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 11-28-2009, 11:13 AM
 
3,043 posts, read 7,674,595 times
Reputation: 903
Our kids were raised with the idea that canals are off limits except for recreational fishing (people do eat the fish they catch in these canals but I wouldn't recommend it). The most dangerous thing about canals is that they run alongside roads and they can be a real hazard to drivers as there is often no barrier. It's particularly hairy being the parent of a student driver because of them. After Tropical Storm Irene, the flooding was so bad that the roads in Southwest Ranches became indistinguishable from the canals and impassable.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.

Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.


Reply
Please update this thread with any new information or opinions. This open thread is still read by thousands of people, so we encourage all additional points of view.

Quick Reply
Message:


Settings
X
Data:
Loading data...
Based on 2000-2020 data
Loading data...

123
Hide US histogram


Over $104,000 in prizes was already given out to active posters on our forum and additional giveaways are planned!

Go Back   City-Data Forum > U.S. Forums > Florida > Fort Lauderdale area

All times are GMT -6.

© 2005-2024, Advameg, Inc. · Please obey Forum Rules · Terms of Use and Privacy Policy · Bug Bounty

City-Data.com - Contact Us - Archive 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37 - Top