Loxahatchee, FL - The South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD) this week is expected to complete repairs to an Indian Trail Improvement District berm that breached late last month on the southwest boundary of the J.W. Corbett Wildlife Management Area near The Acreage.
The 60-foot-wide breach to the berm, which is maintained by the Indian Trail Improvement District, was reported to the District on Oct. 27.
While no residents and no homes were in danger, the SFWMD dispatched crews by the morning of Oct. 28 to repair the breach, which was approximately 300 yards east of the SFWMD's L-8 canal. By that evening, the breach was repaired and the area of the berm where it had occurred was stabilized. District crews also dredged about 3,000 cubic yards of sediment shoaling that was carried about 400 feet down the canal by the swift moving waters that escaped during the breach. This week, District officials will finish "bank hardening" work that involves installing stone rip rap to protect the bank from erosion. Additionally, the disturbed area of the berm will be re-sodded to further harden it.
"I'm very proud of our team for jumping into this situation and repairing damage that could have been much worse," said SFWMD Governing Board Chairman Dan O'Keefe. "This type of cooperation and quick action to solve a problem is the hallmark of all our employees at the District."
District officials moved swiftly to repair the berm, even though it is neither owned nor operated by SFWMD because, as Florida's largest water management district, SFWMD had the expertise, equipment and staff to respond to emergency situations of this nature quickly.
"We can't thank the South Florida Water Management District enough for their swift assistance and expertise," said Indian Trail Improvement District Board President Carol Jacobs. "Through this cooperation, we were able to fix this problem within a matter of days, and we will work together to identify other potential repairs that may be needed to the berm in the future."
The total estimated cost of the repair is between $50,000 and $100,000.
