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in the region will support continued restoration of Florida’s iconic Kissimmee River.
A Monumental Achievement!
In July 2021, the SFWMD and the USACE hosted
a ribbon cutting ceremony to celebrate the
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.
Ribbon cutting ceremony for the newly completed Kissimmee River Restoration Project. L-R: USACE Jacksonville District Col. Andrew Kelly, SFWMD Executive
Director Drew Bartlett, SFWMD Governing Board Member Charlette Roman, Acting Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works Jaime Pinkham,
U.S. Department of Interior Assistant Secretary for Fish and Wildlife and Parks Shannon Estenoz, SFWMD Water Resources Director Lawrence Glenn,
SFWMD Governing Board Chairman Chauncey Goss, FDEP Secretary Shawn Hamilton, County Coalition Chairperson Karson Turner, SFWMD Governing Board
Member Jacqui Thurlow-Lippisch, USACE Major General William (Butch) H. Graham, SFWMD Governing Board Member Ben Butler and Rep. Toby Overdorf.

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
s
s
s
s
s
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

in the region will support continued restoration of Florida’s iconic Kissimmee River.

A Monumental Achievement!

In July 2021, the SFWMD and the USACE hosted

a ribbon cutting ceremony to celebrate the

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.

Ribbon cutting ceremony for the newly completed Kissimmee River Restoration Project. L-R: USACE Jacksonville District Col. Andrew Kelly, SFWMD Executive

Director Drew Bartlett, SFWMD Governing Board Member Charlette Roman, Acting Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works Jaime Pinkham,

U.S. Department of Interior Assistant Secretary for Fish and Wildlife and Parks Shannon Estenoz, SFWMD Water Resources Director Lawrence Glenn,

SFWMD Governing Board Chairman Chauncey Goss, FDEP Secretary Shawn Hamilton, County Coalition Chairperson Karson Turner, SFWMD Governing Board

Member Jacqui Thurlow-Lippisch, USACE Major General William (Butch) H. Graham, SFWMD Governing Board Member Ben Butler and Rep. Toby Overdorf.

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

s

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