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completion of construction for the Kissimmee
River Restoration Project. The Kissimmee River
is a significant part of America’s Everglades
and this project is vital to restoring the greater
Everglades ecosystem.
Kissimmee River
The South Florida Water
Management District (SFWMD)
is a regional governmental
agency that oversees the water
resources in 16 counties – from
Orlando to the Florida Keys.
OUR MISSION
To SAFEGUARD and RESTORE
South Florida’s water resources
and ecosystems, PROTECT our
communities from flooding, and
MEET the region’s water needs
while CONNECTING with the
public and stakeholders
Ron DeSantis, Governor
SFWMD Governing Board
Chauncey Goss, Chairman
Scott Wagner, Vice Chairman
Ron Bergeron Sr.
Ben Butler
Charlie E. Martinez
Cheryl Meads
Charlette Roman
Jay Steinle
Jacqui Thurlow-Lippisch
Drew Bartlett, SFWMD Executive Director
3301 Gun Club Road
West Palm Beach, FL 33406
561-686-8800
sfwmd.gov
JUNE 2022
The Kissimmee Basin encompasses more than two dozen lakes in the Kissimmee
Chain of Lakes, their tributary streams and associated marshes and the Kissimmee
River and floodplain. The basin forms the headwaters of Lake Okeechobee and
the Everglades; together they comprise the Kissimmee Okeechobee Everglades
system. In the 1960s, the Central and Southern Florida Flood Control (C&SF)
Project modified the native Kissimmee Okeechobee Everglades system extensively
throughout South Florida, including construction of canals and water control
structures to achieve flood control in the Upper and Lower Kissimmee basins.
Restoring the
Kissimmee River
The historic Kissimmee River once meandered for 103 miles through central Florida.
Its floodplain, reaching up to two miles wide, was inundated for long periods by heavy
seasonal rains. Recurring and prolonged flooding impacted local residents and resulted in
Congressional authorization of the Central and Southern Florida Project, which included
channelizing the Kissimmee River and floodplain. Construction of the C-38 canal achieved
flood reduction benefits, but it also harmed the river-floodplain ecosystem. After the
waterway was transformed into a straight, deep canal, it became oxygen-depleted and the
fish community it supported changed dramatically. More than 90 percent of the waterfowl
that once graced the wetlands disappeared and the number of bald eagle nesting
territories decreased by 70 percent. The decline of the ecosystem spurred federal, state
and local partnerships to embark on one of the world’s largest riverine restoration efforts:
the Kissimmee River Restoration Project.
The Kissimmee River Restoration Project restores more than 40 square miles of the
river floodplain ecosystem, 20,000 acres of wetlands, and 44 miles of the historic river
channel. Construction of this major restoration effort was completed in July 2021 through
a 50-50 partnership between the South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD)
and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE). As part of the project, the SFWMD and the
USACE and worked together to:
Complete backfilling of 22 miles
of the C-38 canal between Lakes
Kissimmee and Okeechobee
Reconstruct remnant river
channels across the backfilled
canal to reconnect and restore
flow in remnant river channels
Remove two water control structures
Add two gates to the S-65 water
control structure
Acquire more than 100,000 acres of
land to restore the river and floodplain
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Sustaining and Enhancing
the Kissimmee Chain of Lakes
Historically, the Kissimmee Chain of
Lakes and the Kissimmee River were
an integrated system comprised
of headwater lakes connected by
broad shallow wetlands and creeks.
The Chain of Lakes, like the river, was
substantially altered by the construction
of the C&SF Project. Today, water
managers and scientists are working
to enhance and protect these habitats
for the environmental, recreational and
economic benefits they provide.
Since the project began in 1999, the river and its floodplain have improved in many ways, including the conversion of nearly 20,000 acres of drained
floodplain to ecologically beneficial wetlands. In addition, the project’s efforts resulted in the recovery of the invertebrate community, a crucial food
resource for fish and birds. Additional monitoring will be conducted to measure the project’s success, and additional projects and restoration efforts