OKEECHOBEE — A crucial undertaking generations in the making, the Kissimmee River Restoration Project is showing progress. Federal funding for the Kissimmee River restoration project is in serious jeopardy, and Florida's congressional delegation is scrambling to get the $270 million secured. are similar to those of the historic river. The added costs that may accumulate because of a lengthy review are often far less than the cost of repairing the damage caused by a poorly conceived project. The Kissimmee River Restoration project, authorized by Congress in 1992, is sponsored by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) and the South Florida Water Management District ().When the project is completed in 2020, more than 40 square miles of river-floodplain ecosystem will be restored, including nearly 20,000 acres of wetlands and 44 miles of historic river channel. Kissimmee River Restoration began in 1992 and has been the most successful ecosystem restoration initiative to date. “The Kissimmee River is part of the heart of Florida and key to the restoration of America’s Everglades,” said South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD) Governing Board Chairman Dan O’Keefe. After extensive planning, construction for the Kissimmee River Restoration Project began in 1999 with backfilling 8 miles of the C-38 canal.
Three construction phases are now complete, and continuous water flow has been re-established to 24 miles of the meandering Kissimmee River. Source: East Lake Tohopekaliga Mouth: Lake Okeechobee Extremely flat landscape!!! This project converted 44% of the floodplain to pasture, draining approximately 31,000 acres of wetlands. The Kissimmee River Restoration Project was first devised in 1976 after channelization of the naturally curving river for flood protection had the unintended consequence of eliminating crucial floodplain wetlands and degrading the ecosystem along the river. ... (Washington: Center for American Progress It also consists of about two dozen chain of lakes near the beginning of the river. Before channelization, the River was a haven for wildlife, including at least 39 species of fish and 38 species of water birds. •The Kissimmee River prior to channelization •Flooding and channelization of the Kissimmee River •Environmental effects of channelization •Call for restoration •Planning studies for restoration 1980-1993 •Project authorization •Restoration construction: 1999-present •Restoration progress and status •Ecological responses The Kissimmee River Restoration History The largest river restoration project in the world! The Kissimmee River used to be a 103 mile meandering river that started north of Lake Okeechobee near Orlando. The Kissimmee River Restoration project detailed in this issue brief offers a classic example of this very point. But when complete, a looming water shortage means the river… The Historic Kissimmee River. Background The Kissimmee River is a river in south-central Florida, United States. The Kissimmee River Restoration Project will help to clean up the dirty water problem that South Florida has been experiencing for many years. The overall Kissimmee River Restoration Project is a combination of 22 sub-projects that include: • restoration evaluation and adaptive management elements, • four phases of backfilling, • acquisition of historic floodplain, • canal and water control structure modifications, Located in Florida's Heartland, the Kissimmee River historically meandered 103 miles from LakeKissimmee to Lake Okeechobee through a diversely rich 1-3 mile wide floodplain. The Kissimmee: A River Re-Curved In Florida, a key river is undergoing the largest environmental restoration effort in the world. Original Length --216 km Basin--7, 770 km2 Reasons High flood risk--During periods of heavy rains, the river would fill to capacity, excess water run-off to the river's floodplain.