Ground Conditions in Hollywood
Hollywood sits on the edge of the limestone ridge that runs down the South Florida coast, and the ground changes a lot across town. On the higher, well-drained lots, federal soil surveys show sand over limestone that starts about 3 feet down, with the water table around 5 and a half feet. In the low spots near the canals and the Intracoastal it's silty, mucky soil with water about 6 inches down, and in the tidal areas the water is right at the surface. Along this stretch of coast, the groundwater sits close to sea level and moves with it.
For radar, that's two different jobs in one town. Dry sand over rock is about as good as GPR gets, and we can usually follow lines all the way down to the rock. Wet, silty ground near the water soaks up the signal, and salty groundwater close to the beach cuts it even more. So we read the ground before we promise anything, set up for what we find, and trace anything metal or wired where the radar runs short.
What’s Under the Streets in Hollywood
Hollywood runs its own water and sewer, FPL runs the power, and gas comes from Peoples Gas or Florida City Gas depending on the street. About 44% of the city still isn't on sewer. Those homes and businesses run on septic tanks, and the city has projected about $1.5 billion to switch them over. So a lot of Hollywood yards have a tank and drain field that isn't on any map, and over the next several years a lot of new sewer pipe will be going in right next to the old lines. The city also sends treated water out to parks, medians and golf courses for irrigation.
Hollywood knows what a hit line costs. In November 2011, construction crews struck a 48-inch sewer main on Taft Street between Park Road and I-95, and more than 20 million gallons went into the C-10 canal. In September 2017 the city put out two citywide boil-water notices in one month after main breaks, one of them in an older section of pipe that opened a sinkhole on Johnson Street. The city's mains get marked when you call 811. The septic tank, the irrigation line and the pool line in the same yard don't, and those are what we find.
We cover all of Hollywood from our shop in town: Hollywood Beach and the Broadwalk, Downtown and Young Circle, Hollywood Lakes, Emerald Hills, Hollywood Hills, and the neighborhoods west of I-95. We also work the cities around it, including Dania Beach, Hallandale Beach, Pembroke Pines, Miramar, and Davie.
