Kissimmee River Restoration Works Underway

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Jacksonville District is notifying Kissimmee River boaters of navigational restrictions along approximately ten miles of the river in the lower river basin. 

According to the notice, USACE continues backfilling the channelized Kissimmee River segments to allow flows through the historic river channel and restore its floodplain and habitat.

Restoration construction will limit navigation, restricting it from U.S. Highway 98 to approximately 7 miles upstream and 3 miles downstream of U.S. Highway 98, reported the Corps.

“We hope the public will continue enjoying the river and canals, and also continue to exercise extra caution in the waterways, particularly when approaching segments that are and will be closed for construction purposes,” said Dr. Orlando Ramos-Gines, senior project manager.

The Corps anticipates completing construction activities in the summer of 2020.

The Kissimmee River restoration project is one of the many ongoing projects currently underway by the Army Corps of Engineers, in partnership with the South Florida Water Management District, to restore America’s Everglades.

Once completed, the Kissimmee River Restoration project will restore the 22-mile channelized river back to its natural meandering pattern and provide 130,000 acre-feet of natural floodplain storage.

This will slow the flow of water from the Kissimmee Basin into Lake Okeechobee, thereby slowing down the rise in the lake that often results in high-volume discharges to the Caloosahatchee and St. Lucie estuaries.