January 5, 2017
 
Major Restoration Projects Progress in 2016
Click on this image to see the video entitled "SFWMD Presents: 2016 Accomplishments" detailing the progress SFWMD made on several key restoration, flood control and other projects throughout the entire District during the past year.
 
WEST PALM BEACH, FL - From the Kissimmee River to Florida Bay, South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD) in 2016 continued making progress on the goal of building major projects that will help restore South Florida's ecosystem and ensure sound water supply management for generations to come.
 
"Getting projects done is our focus and priority," said SFWMD Governing Board Chairman Dan O'Keefe. "We broke ground this year on several key upgrades to our infrastructure that have been years in the making. Other massive projects have either been completed or are nearing completion. These are all vital elements to the future of water management in South Florida."

One of the most important projects started this past year was at the very southern end of the water management system in Miami-Dade County. The District devised a plan to accelerate components slated to be built in the future in southern Miami-Dade County. Building these project components, which includes degrading weirs, connecting canals and building other features, will allow the District to deliver thousands more acre-feet of freshwater every year during wet and dry months to Taylor Slough in Everglades National Park, which connects directly to Florida Bay. This additional freshwater reaching Florida Bay will help to reduce elevated salinity levels that have occurred after droughts.

On the border of Palm Beach and Broward counties, the District in August completed the second phase of the extensive 10-mile long Hillsboro Canal bank stabilization and dredging project. This phase began in 2014 for 4 miles of the Hillsboro Canal from U.S. 441 east to Military Trail. The canal allows the District to provide flood protection to millions of residents and provides environmental restoration. A total of 37,000 cubic yards of sediment buildup was dredged out of the bottom of the Hillsboro Canal from Powerline Road to the G-56 Structure near Military Trail. A total of about $20 million has been spent on this project.

In Palm Beach County, construction is nearing completion on the L-8 Flow Equalization Basin, which will be able to hold about 40,000 acre-feet of stormwater runoff so that it can be released to stormwater treatment areas at a controlled rate, resulting in improved performance of those treatment areas. Completion of the project and the start of operation are expected next year. To date, close to $290 million has been spent on the project, which is almost complete.

South of Lake Okeechobee, work continued improving the ability of the key Bolles Canal to move more water south of the lake to reach the District's complex water quality improvement system and eventually Everglades National Park. Construction was completed on the first segment of the $85 million canal improvement project and began on the second segment. The District has also started designing the third segment of the canal improvements.
 
The Bolles Canal and L-8 Flow Equalization Basin projects are part of Governor Rick Scott's $880 million Restoration Strategies plan to complete water quality restoration in Florida. Other components of that plan, such as the A-1 Flow Equalization Basin, were completed in prior years and more progress on other plan components is expected in 2017.

In Martin County, the District began construction of the southern phase of the Lakeside Ranch Stormwater Treatment Area. Construction of this phase is expected to be completed in 2018. The northern phase was completed in 2012. This treatment area will be able to remove approximately 20 metric tons of phosphorus per year from stormwater runoff from the Taylor Creek and Nubbins Slough basins before that water enters Lake Okeechobee. To date, the approximately $130 million Lakeside Ranch project is about 60 percent complete.

In the St. Lucie Estuary, SFWMD contractors continued building the massive C-44 Stormwater Treatment Area and associated pump station in Martin County. To date, almost 17 miles of canals and 9 miles of berms have been constructed and most of the concrete water control structures including a spillway and several gates, are finished or nearing completion. The Stormwater Treatment Area being built by the District is expected to be completed by the end of next year and the pump station is expected to be completed by 2018. Coupled with a reservoir being constructed by the Army Corps, this project will hold and treat 50,000 acre-feet of stormwater runoff. The District's portion of the project, estimated to cost about $350 million, is about 90 percent complete.
 
Also in the St. Lucie Estuary, SFWMD began work in October to repair the 526-acre Ten-Mile Creek Reservoir and Stormwater Treatment Area in St. Lucie County. Once repaired, the reservoir will be able to store more than 2,500 acre-feet of local stormwater runoff. The District is expected to complete the $8 million repairs in June 2017.
 
On the west coast, this year, SFWMD teams completed all of the land-clearing work necessary as part of the Southern Corkscrew Regional Escosystem Watershed restoration project in Lee County. This involves restoring the natural hydrology and habitat to more than 4,100 acres of pine flatwoods, swamps, wet prairies and marshes. The entire restoration project is expected to be completed next year. The project is estimated to cost approximately $40 million and is more than 90 percent complete.
 
In the western region, SFWMD contractors made progress on two crucial projects that will help the Caloosahatchee River Estuary.
 
The C-43 West Basin Reservoir in Hendry County will hold up to 170,000 acre-feet of water to help reduce Lake Okeechobee releases and provide freshwater to the estuary during dry months to reduce salinity levels in the estuary. Pre-loading and demolition work constructing earthen mounds needed for the reservoir are about halfway complete. Construction on a cofferdam and dewatering system for the S-476 Pump Station in the reservoir has also begun. The reservoir is slated to cost about $550 million and be completed by 2022.
 
Construction was completed this year on the C-43 Water Quality Treatment and Testing Facility in Hendry County. This project is being conducted by the District in partnership with Lee County over the next 8-10 years. Wetland plants and sediments have been installed in 12 tanks, and the initial phase of the planned experiments is now underway. This project will help demonstrate and implement cost-effective, wetland-based strategies for reducing nutrient loads, particularly nitrogen, from the Caloosahatchee River and its estuary. Study results of effective techniques will be used to determine the feasibility of scaling up certain water treatment technologies in future project phases. The $80 million project is about 50 percent complete.

In the northern most area of the District, SFWMD teams began work in March to install a new G-103 water control structure in Polk County to better maintain water levels and provide flood control in the Lake Rosalie area in the Upper Kissimmee Chain of Lakes. The $3.4 million project is more than 60 percent complete. It is estimated to be finished by May 2017.
 
Also, in the northern region, the District's portion of the $760 million Kissimmee River Restoration Project is approximately 90 percent complete. The project is being built jointly with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Army Corps' section is more than 80 percent complete. Backfilling of the MacArthur Ditch section of the river's central floodplain is nearing completion and the final stretch of backfilling work will begin in early 2017. The District also began testing a new operation schedule for the Upper Kissimmee Chain of Lakes this year as part of the restoration project. The entire project is scheduled to be finished by 2020 and will restore historic flow to about 40 miles of the river and about 20,000 acres of floodplain wetlands.

"The District has worked on multiple fronts over hundreds of miles to make progress and complete projects that will provide better flood protection, ensure water supply, restore natural systems and improve water quality in South Florida," O'Keefe said. "This was all accomplished because of Governor Rick Scott's leadership and our Governing Board making the best use of taxpayer dollars. The benefits of these projects are being realized now and will continue for years to come. We will all look back at 2016 as a crucial year for the restoration of South Florida's ecosystem."
 
Media Contact: 
Randy Smith  |   rrsmith@sfwmd.gov    |  Office: 561-682-2800  |  Cell: 561-389-3386
The South Florida Water Management District is a regional governmental agency that manages the water resources in the southern part of the state. It is the oldest and largest of the state's five water management districts. Our mission is to protect South Florida's water resources by balancing and improving flood control, water supply, water quality and natural systems.


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