Florida completes land acquisition to restore Kissimmee River

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Florida completes land acquisition to restore Kissimmee River

In mid-April, Florida celebrated another milestone in the restoration of the South Florida ecosystem. The South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD) approved the purchase of the last parcels of land needed to complete the final phases of the Kissimmee River restoration. The 12,000 acres purchased for $35.8 million complete the total acquisition of 102,061 acres needed for construction of the project.

"As the headwaters of America's Everglades, the Kissimmee watershed is a critical component of South Florida's interconnected ecosystem," said Governor Jeb Bush. "The state is eager to move forward and finish this first-of-its-kind river restoration."

After 11 years of purchasing land, acquisition was 80% complete at the end of 2003. In 2004, SFWMD directed staff to acquire the remaining 20% -– said to be the most difficult -– in just 2 years.

"Overall, the 102,061 acres were acquired at an average of $3,000 per acre," said SFWMD Executive Director Carol Wehle. "With escalating land costs, this is also a great fiscal success for the public."

Project background

Approved by Congress in the 1992 Water Resources Development Act, the $578 million Kissimmee River Restoration Project is among the largest ecosystem restoration projects in the world and has been studied worldwide by scientists, engineers and policy makers.

The 103-mile Kissimmee River once meandered across a 1- to 2-mile floodplain until the 1960s, when it was "straightened" and channelized into the C-38 canal for flood-control purposes. While the project delivered its promise, it also destroyed a floodplain-dependent ecosystem that nurtured threatened and endangered species and hundreds of other fish- and wetland-dependent animals. Ultimately, the waterway was transformed into a straight, deep, oxygen-depleted canal -– no longer capable of supporting sport fish species.

Today, the Kissimmee River's rescue is well under way and showing tremendous recovery. In 2001, the first of the 4-phase Kissimmee River restoration was completed. That work filled in 7.5 miles of the flood control canal and restored flow to about 15 miles of historic river channel and associated floodplain.

Over the past 4 years, the river's floodplain has been receiving the life-giving sheet flow of water that is healing the river's floodplain ecosystem. Ten species of shorebirds that disappeared after channelization have returned to the restored area, DEP said, including nesting by the black-necked stilt. Life-giving water flow has returned to the once-stagnant river run, native vegetation has re-colonized and a greater percentage of sport fish are in river channels.

What's next?

The next phase of construction is scheduled to begin in May. It involves backfilling about 2 miles of canal, beginning at the northern end of the Phase 1 project area, as well as reconnecting about a half-mile of continuous river channel. Completion of this phase is expected in summer 2007.

Future phases in 2007 through 2011 will backfill an additional 12.5 miles of canal and reconnect additional river channel. Two water-control structures will be removed, restoring more than 8,000 acres of the river/floodplain ecosystem. The system will continue to be monitored for 5 years upon the end of construction to ensure restoration success.

"Kissimmee River progress continues to set new standards for measuring restoration success," said Florida Department of Environmental Protection Secretary Colleen Castille. "Extensive scientific monitoring indicates positive responses in the restored portion of the river, and we expect continued evidence of recovery as construction begins on the next phase of the project."