Water, an element we cannot live without, is something Florida receives a lot of, especially through the summer rainy season, adding up to an annual rainfall of about four and a half feet on average.  This abundance of water presents challenges to improving systems to store, filter, and send it to where it is needed most, rather than letting it flow out to the ocean.

In 1985, the U.S. Department of Interior designated the Northwest Fork of the Loxahatchee River for inclusion in the Federal Wild & Scenic River system, recognizing its essential habitats supporting a wide spectrum of ecological resources.  In the decades to follow, the South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD) embarked on a plan, in collaboration with local government and drainage districts to create additional water storage in the L-8 canal basin in order to protect and restore the Loxahatchee River.  Components of the Lower East Coast Regional Water Supply Plan affecting Northern Palm Beach County – including Loxahatchee River restoration - are part of the vast Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Project (CERP), led by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACOE).

Project goals seek to capture water flows through canals and basins to meet drinking water demands; recharge canals and wells; reduce discharge to tide; treat/filter water headed to the Loxahatchee River and the Lake Worth Lagoon; and, reduce flooding.
Water managers and project engineers have determined that these goals are achievable by utilizing wetlands under conservation and by constructing storm-water treatment areas (STA) and reservoirs.  Mecca Farms, a site just north of Northlake Boulevard on Seminole Pratt Whitney Road will serve as one of the water storage areas. Additionally, rock pits owned by Palm Beach Aggregates on the north side of Southern Boulevard at Twenty-Mile Bend are the site of a multi-phase public/private project comprising the C-51 Reservoir.

Local government agencies have contributed expertise and funding to plan and implement features of the overall project, such as the L-8 reservoir, purchasing and restoring wetlands to connect the flow of water, construction of control structures and pumps, and increasing capacity.  These agencies include Palm Beach County, the City of West Palm Beach – whose drinking water supplies relies on adequate levels of filtered water in Grassy Waters Preserve, Indian Trail Improvement District, SFWMD, South Indian River Water Control District, Lake Worth Drainage District, and Pal Mar Water Control District.  The County also receives input on options studied and recommended through its Water Resources Task Force advisory board, and the Loxahatchee River Management Coordinating Council.

Local initiatives rely on financial support from state and federal partners.  Recently, Palm Beach County received a $7.7 million grant from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) to upgrade the levee at the southeast side of the J.W. Corbett Wildlife Management Area, which will reduce the risk of flooding in the Acreage and Loxahatchee communities within the Indian Trail Improvement District. 

Additionally, FDEP awarded grants totaling $113M to the county toward the construction of Cells 12 and 13 of Phase II of the C-51 Reservoir.  The L-8 Canal sends water from Lake Okeechobee into our region.  Once these cells are fully connected to the L-8 Canal, the Reservoir will be capable of receiving and storing regional water to reduce harmful discharges to the Lake Worth Lagoon Estuary, provide water to restore the NW Fork of the Loxahatchee River and connected wetlands, combat salt water intrusion by canal recharge, and increase water supply.

Each of these costly and complex projects are pieces of the overall puzzle to effectively store, filter and manage water, while enhancing our natural environment, and as you can see, requires the help of numerous stakeholders to achieve.
At the end of the day, water is a precious resource and our county continually needs to think outside the box to aid in water management strategies.  As a man stated recently at a county commission public hearing, water is life.

Please contact me if I can assist you at (561) 355-2201 or by email at mmarino@pbcgov.org.