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The Kissimmee River once meandered for 103 miles through central Florida. Its floodplain, reaching up to 3 miles wide, was inundated for long periods by heavy seasonal rains. Wetland plants, wading birds and fish thrived there. But prolonged flooding caused severe impacts to people, which led to engineering changes to deepen, straighten and widen the waterway.
In the 1960s, the Kissimmee River was cut and dredged into a 30-feet-deep straightaway: the C-38 canal. Before channelization was complete, biologists suspected the project would have devastating ecological consequences. While the project delivered on the promise of flood protection, it also destroyed a floodplain-dependent ecosystem that nurtured threatened and endangered species, as well as hundreds of other fish and wetland-dependent animals. More than 90 percent of the waterfowl that once graced this wetland disappeared. The number of bald eagle nesting territories decreased by 70 percent. Ultimately, the waterway was transformed into a straight, deep, oxygen-depleted canal – no longer capable of supporting a healthy fish community.
The Kissimmee River's rescue, however, is well under way and is showing tremendous progress and recovery.
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The Kissimmee River Restoration will return flow to 43 miles of the river's historic channel and restore about 40 square miles of river/floodplain ecosystem. The restoration project – a 50-50 partnership with the South Florida Water Management District and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers – is scheduled to be complete by 2015.
After extensive planning, construction for environmental restoration began in 1999 with backfilling 8 miles of the C-38 canal. Three construction phases are now complete, and continuous water flow was reestablished to 24 miles of the meandering Kissimmee River. Seasonal rains and flows now inundate the floodplain in the restored area.
- Wading bird populations in the restored river and floodplain region have more than tripled.
- Duck species including fulvous whistling duck, northern pintail, northern shoveler, American wigeon and ring-necked duck have returned to the floodplain after being absent during the 40-plus years that the system was channelized.
- Similarly, several shorebird species including American avocet, black-necked stilt, dowitcher, greater yellowlegs, semipalmated plover, least sandpiper, spotted sandpiper and western sandpiper have also returned to the river and floodplain.
- The number of wading birds, including white ibis, great egret, snowy egret and little blue heron, has increased significantly, in some years more than double the restoration target.
- Dissolved oxygen levels have doubled, which is critical for the long-term survival of fish and other aquatic organisms.
- Largemouth bass and sunfish now comprise 63 percent of the fish community, up from 38 percent.
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Kissimmee Watershed Overview
The Kissimmee watershed forms the headwaters of the Kissimmee-Okeechobee-Everglades system. The watershed encompasses a diverse group of wetland and aquatic ecosystems, including more than two dozen lakes, their tributary streams, and the Kissimmee River. The key strategic priority of the Kissimmee Division is to integrate Kissimmee watershed management strategies with Kissimmee River restoration. In line with this priority, the primary goals of the Kissimmee Division are to restore ecological integrity to the Kissimmee River and its floodplain ecosystem, develop a long-term management plan for resolving water and other management issues in the Kissimmee Chain of Lakes, and retain the existing level of flood control in the Kissimmee watershed.
Major initiatives in the Kissimmee watershed are the Kissimmee River Restoration Project (KRRP), which includes the Kissimmee River Restoration Evaluation Program (KRREP) and Kissimmee Basin Modeling and Operations Study (KBMOS); Kissimmee River Headwaters Revitalization Project (KRHRP); and Kissimmee Chain of Lakes (KCOL) Long-Term Management Plan (LTMP). A number of activities are associated with these projects including ecosystem restoration, restoration evaluation, aquatic plant management, land management, water quality improvement, and water supply planning. |
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Kissimmee River Restoration Evaluation Program (KRREP)
| A key element of the Kissimmee River Restoration Project is a comprehensive ecological evaluation program (KRREP) to (1) assess achievement of the project goal of ecological integrity, (2) establish causality between the restoration project and observed changes, and (3) support adaptive management in the later phases of the project. Restoration evaluation relates directly to the District's mission, to manage and protect water resources of the region by balancing and improving water quality, flood control, naturals systems, and water supply.
To evaluate attainment of the goal of ecological integrity, the KRREP is broad in scope and includes major abiotic components of the ecosystem (hydrology, geomorphology, and water quality) and major biological communities (e.g., plants, invertebrates, fish, and birds). The strategy for evaluating restoration success centers around two key activities: (1) monitoring to assess changes in important metrics that represent the condition of the river-floodplain ecosystem, and (2) development of restoration expectations. To detect system change, data was collected prior to Phase I construction to establish a baseline for evaluating future responses.
Baseline data will be compared to data collected after construction and restoration of pre-channelization hydrologic conditions. Information about observed changes in the system will be compared to anticipated changes described by individual restoration expectations to evaluate whether the expectation has been achieved. If an expectation is not achieved, there will be an opportunity to consider if adaptive management strategies should be implemented. |
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Kissimmee River Restoration Construction Projects
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The Kissimmee River Restoration Project was authorized by Congress in the 1992 Water Resources Development Act. The project will restore 40 miles of meandering river channel and over 12,000 acres of wetlands. The restoration project is a joint partnership between the South Florida Water Management District and US Army Corps of Engineers.
Kissimmee River Restoration construction includes backfilling of approximately one third of the C-38 canal to reconnect and restore flow to the historic river channel. Other construction projects associated with Kissimmee River Restoration include levee removal, water contol structure improvements, flood protection and various infrastructure improvements within the project area. |
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Phases of C-38 Backfilling |
 1999 Lower Basin Construction Features map
Kissimmee River Restoration Project Phase I construction features (Contract 7 - completed February 2001). |
 1999 Upper Basin Construction Features map
Kissimmee River Restoration Project Phase I construction features map. |
 Phase II/III - Contract 10/12
Scheduled to begin in October 2011 |
 Phase IVA - Contract 13A
Completed in December 2007 |
 Phase IVB- Contract 13B
Completed in December 2009 |
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Other Construction Projects |
Test Backfilling - Contract 1
A short section of C-38 was backfilled as a test to evaluate engineering and design construction methods. Status: Complete.
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C-35 Dredging - Contract 2A
Dredging of the C-35 Canal was needed to maintain the design capacity. Status: Complete.
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C-36 Bottom Widening - Contract 2B
Widening of the C-36 Canal was needed to increase the design capacity. Status: Complete. |
C-37 - Widening - Contract 2B1
Widening of the C-37 Canal is needed to increase the design capacity. Status: Under Construction. |
Degrade Local Levees (Pool A, B and C) - Contract 4
Local levees and associated borrow canals will be restored to natural ground elevation. |
S-65A Gate Extensions, Tieback Levee Degrading and Pool B Weir Modification - Contract 5
Degrading the tieback levee will occur prior to initiation of Phase I backfilling so that additional discharge capacity can be obtained over the floodplain to avoid upstream impacts. |
Lake Istokpoga Containment Levee and Structure - Contract 6
The intent of this project is to maintain the authorized level of flood protection for Lake Istokpoga by ensuring that the total outlet capacity from the lake is not reduced. The contract includes replacing the G-85 weir with a new water control structure(S-67), construction of a tie back levee on both sides of the spillway to prevent elevated Kissimmee River stages from affecting Lake Istokpoga. Contract 6 was later sub-divided into four contracts: 6A1A, 6A1B, 6A2, 6B. |
S-83 and S-84 Spillway Additions - Contract 6A1A
An additional gate was added to each structure to increase discharge capacity. Status: Complete. |
S-68 Spillway Addition - Contract 6A1B
An additional gate was added to the S-68 structure to increase discharge capacity. Status: Complete. |
Istokpoga Canal Improvements - Contract 6A2
This contract includes removal of the existing G-85 and replacement with a new water control structure S‑67, dredging of the canal, construction of a tie-back levee at S-67, construction of a public boat ramp and parking facility located on US 98 and construction of an access road from CR 621 to 500 ft downstream of S-68. Status: Under Construction. |
S-65B Radio Tower Replacement - Contract 7B
Structure S-65B was demolished as part of Contract 7. The radio tower at S-65B was relocated on the west side of the C-38 canal. The tower supports the SFWMD data communications. Status: Complete.
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US Highway 98 Box Culverts - Contract 8
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CSX Railroad Bridge Replacement - Contract 9
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S-65D/DX2 Structure Additions - Contract 11
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S-65DX1 Retrofit - Contract 11A
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S-69 weir - Contract 12A
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Pool A Spoil Mound Removal - Contract 14
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River Acres Flood Protection - Contract - 15
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Hidden Acres Flood Protection - Contract 15A
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Pool D Oxbow Dredging - Contract 18
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Kissimmee River Basin –
Water Reservations
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Background
Ensuring the availability of water is a key component of environmental restoration and management affecting the Upper Chain of Lakes and the Kissimmee River and floodplain. Together, these remarkable Central Florida water bodies shelter 45 species of fish, 68 species of wetland-dependent birds, 24 species of reptiles and amphibians and mammals including the marsh rabbit, river otter and round-tailed muskrat. Ultimately, all of these species are as dependent on the water as they are on the success of other wildlife in their shared habitat.
To assure water for the protection of fish and wildlife within the Upper Chain of Lakes and restored Kissimmee River and floodplain, the South Florida Water Management District Governing Board began the development of rules to reserve water for those purposes in 2008. The District, State of Florida and the United States government have provided substantial support for restoration of these ecosystems. To date, $620 million has been invested in projects encompassing 19 lakes and 103 miles of river and floodplain. This accounts for 27,000 acres of wetland habitat critical to the protection of fish and wildlife, including endangered or threatened species. Reservations will guarantee that the water needed to keep these ecosystems thriving will not be allocated for consumptive use.
A water reservation is a legal mechanism to set aside water for the protection of fish and wildlife or public health and safety. When a water reservation is in place, volumes and timing of water at specific locations are protected for the natural system ahead of consumptive uses such as new development.
This web site has been established to provide information to the public regarding water reservation development, including meeting schedules and notices, technical analysis and reports, presentations and draft rule language.
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Kissimmee Chain of Lakes Long-Term Management Plan
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The Kissimmee Chain of Lake Long-Term Management Plan (KCOL LTMP) is a multiagency/stakeholder project that was initiated by the passage of SFWMD Governing Board Resolution 2003-468. This resolution directed SFWMD staff to work with the USACE and other interested parties to improve the health and sustainability of the Kissimmee Chain of Lakes by developing a long-term management plan for regulated lakes in the Upper Basin. The SFWMD is the lead agency coordinating development of the plan. Other partner agencies include the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Florida Department of Environmental Protection, Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, local governments and community leaders, and other stakeholders.
The purpose of the KCOL LTMP is to enhance and/or sustain lake ecosystem health by (1) providing the scientific and technical basis for assessing current and future environmental conditions, and (2) developing collaborative strategies for identifying needs for management intervention or modification to achieve agreed upon targets. The KCOL LTMP is conceived as a collaborative framework upon which partner agencies can manage the KCOL and adjacent/connected lands.
An Interagency Team DRAFT version of the plan was released in August 2008. The draft version of the KCOL LTMP will be released for public comment in late 2009. |
2007 Kissimmee Chain of Lakes Long-Term Management Plan Assessment Performance Measure Peer Review
The South Florida Water Management District selected three experts to participate in a peer review panel to evaluate the scientific and technical information compiled for the KCOL LTMP. The peer review panel judged the quality and credibility of the science and assumptions that serve as the scientific and technical basis for development of the KCOL LTMP. Products reviewed, background documents, panel recommendations, and District responses are available through the link below.
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 2007 KCOL LTMP Peer Review
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 KCOL Peer Review Web Board
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Kissimmee Basin Hydrologic Assessment, Modeling, and Operations Study
