Every year around this time, tides run higher than usual. The city of Naples is warning residents about the impact of extreme high tides this week, which are known as king tides.
In a newsletter issued Monday, the city alerted residents to the potential for flooding, particularly in low-lying areas like Park Shore, Old Naples, and downtown.
City Manager Jay Boodheshwar said that Naples' gravity-based drainage system can struggle to handle the combined effects of heavy rain and king tides. When tides rise, they can cause water to back up into streets through drains that lead into the bay.
"Long term, we have a lot of work to do in converting our gravity-based drainage system to mechanized ones, being able to forcibly pump water into the bay," Boodheshwar said. "Right now, you know what's happening, especially during these higher tide, king tide situations when the water rises, they submerge our outfall pipes. So, water has nowhere to drain."
As a temporary measure, the city is installing backflow preventers. These devices are designed to close when tides rise, preventing water from backing up into the storm drains and reducing the risk of flooding.
"So when the tides rise above these outfall pipes, the valves shut and the water won't back up into our storm drains," Boodheshwar said. "And we are seeing improved conditions in some of our areas where these backflow preventers have been installed."
Dr. Felix Jose, a professor of marine science at Florida Gulf Coast University, added that this week's rare super blue moon has intensified the king tides.
"The moon is bigger and brighter because it is closer to the Earth. So the gravitational pull is relatively high, and that is translated into water level [...] And if there is a storm system passing by during this time period, that will also, affect the water level. So that elevated water level is causing a lot of problems for the coastal areas," Jose said.
King tides are expected to continue until the end of the week.