Historical Overview of the Kissimmee River Restoration Project

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Historical Overview of the Kissimmee River
Restoration Project

• Lawrence Glenn
• Kissimmee Division

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Kissimmee River Valley, circa 1955
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City of Kissimmee Flooding circa 1948
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Channelization 1962-1971
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Channelized Kissimmee River
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Effects of Channelization

• Elimination of Floodplain Innundation
• Shift to terrestrial plant communities
• Fewer wading birds, ducks using floodplain
• Loss of highly productive habitats for fish and
  aquatic invertebrates
• Loss of flow in remnant river channels
• Increases in floating vegetation
• Increases in organic matter deposition
• Lower dissolved oxygen
• Shift in fish, invertebrate communities

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Restoration Initiative

• 1971 USGS Report
• 1976 Kissimmee River Restoration Act (FL
  legislature)
• 1978 1st Feasibility Study
• 1984 SFWMD Demonstration Project
• 1990 2nd Feasibility Study
• 1992 Water Resources Development Act authorizes
  KRR (Federal legislature)
• 1994 Project Cooperative Agreement

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Mandates

• 1976 Kissimmee River Restoration Act
• Restore seasonal water level fluctuations in the
  floodplain
• 1992 Water Resources Development Act
• Restore river/floodplain ecosystem according to
  criteria outlined in 1990 Alternative Plan
  Evaluation and Preliminary Design report and 1991
  Integrated Feasibility Report/EIS

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5 Restoration Criteria

• Continuous flow with duration and variability
  comparable to pre-channelization periods
• Average flow velocities between 0.8-1.8 ft per
  second, when flow within bank
• Stage discharge relationship resulting in
  overbank flow gt1400 ft2/sec and gt2000 ft2/sec
• Stage recession rates on floodplain
• lt1 ft/month
• Floodplain inundation comparable to historic
  hydrographs

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Ecological Integrity Goal

• Defined as the capability of supporting and
  maintaining a balanced, integrated, adaptive
  community of organisms having a species
  composition, diversity, and functional
  organization comparable to natural habitat of the
  region. (Frey 1975, Karr and Dudley 1981)

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Approach for the Kissimmee River Restoration
Project
Restoration of ecological integrity to central
region of the Kissimmee River
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Reconstruct the Physical Form
Backfilled C-38
Restored River Channel
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Major Construction Components
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Headwaters Revitalization(Lakes Kissimmee,
Hatchineha, Cypress, Tiger)

• Changes how S-65 structure is operated at south
  end of Lake Kissimmee
• Provide greater and more natural lake level
  fluctuations and delivery to Kissimmee river
• Expand existing peripheral marsh habitats (7200
  acres)

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Kissimmee River Restoration Project

• 50/50 cost share USCOE/SFWMD
• 620 Million
• Backfill 22 mi of C-38 canal
• Recarve/reconnect more than 40 mi of river
  channel
• Remove 2 water control structures (one has been
  removed)
• Headwaters Revitalization Project to provide
  outflows from headwater lakes needed to restore
  the Kissimmee River - 2013
• Comprehensive restoration evaluation program
  thru 2018

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KRR Comprehensive Restoration Evaluation Program
Components

• Hydrology
• Geomorphology
• Dissolved Oxygen and Water Quality
• Plant communities
• Invertebrate communities
• Reptile and Amphibian communities
• Fish communities
• Bird communities
• Threatened and Endangered species

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KRR Evaluation Program Design

• Evaluate success
• Cause-and-effect relationships
• BACI (before-after, control-impact)
• Adaptive management

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Kissimmee River Restoration Studies Compendia

• Results of Baseline Studies 1995-1999
• 25 Performance Measures Restoration
  Expectations
• Executive Summary

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Phase I Backfilling

• Fill 7 miles C-38 canal
• Re-carve 1.2 miles river channel
• Remove S-65B
• Restore 15 miles contiguous river channel
• Completed in Feb 2001

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Phase 1 Construction
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Phase I Environmental Response
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June 3, 2008
Climatic conditions influence flow rates and
other hydrologic conditions in the restored
section. Sandbars that were exposed in June
(above) and submerged in July (below).
July 31, 2008
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Phase I Restored River
June 3, 2008
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River Channel Vegetation Response

• Since restoration of flow in Phase I river
  channels
• Cover of littoral vegetation in river channels
  declined from about 60 to 15 of the channel
• Plants rooted on the river bottom now dominate
  plant
  communities, replacing floating species
• Three of four expectation components have been
  met

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Floodplain Vegetation Response
April 16, 2008
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Floodplain Vegetation Mapping
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Invertebrate Response
October 1, 2008
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Invertebrate Response
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Invertebrate Response
Good bugs!!
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Invertebrate Response
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Fish Response
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Waterfowl Response
9 species return Species richness 13

• Winter (Nov-Mar) waterfowl densities 3.9
  ducks/km²

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Wading Bird Response

• Mean annual dry season (Dec-May) density will be
  30.6 wading birds/km² (excluding cattle egrets)

35 wading birds/km² in 2008
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Shorebird Response

• Historical diversity and species richness (11)
  have returned

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Other Noteworthy Species Returning to the
Floodplain
Wood stork
Black skimmer
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Other Noteworthy Species Returning to the
Floodplain
Roseate spoonbills
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Phase IVA Construction
Pre-construction
December 6, 2006
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April 24, 2007
May 21, 2007
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June 9, 2007
August 28, 2007
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Phase 4A Backfill Area
N
April 10, 2008
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Phase IV B Construction
October 7, 2008
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Phase IVB Backfilling
October 8, 2008
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C-38
C-38
Bypass Flow-way
C-38
February 11, 2009
Looking south along the northwest side of the
Phase IVB construction area. Most of the progress
has been at the southern end with backfill and
re-carving.
January 13, 2009
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North
C-38
Bypass Flow-Way
February 11, 2009
Looking north from the mid-section of Phase IVB
backfill.
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1955
2009
GOOD!!