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WRDA > WRDA 2000 Initial Projects > WCA 3A / 3B
WRDA 2000 Initial Projects:
Water Conservation Areas 3A and 3B Levee Seepage Management
Description – Construct levees and structures and maintain a separation between Water Conservation Area seepage water and coastal runoff water
Purpose – Reduce seepage losses and return seepage water to Water Conservation Area 3
Benefits – Improved hydroperiods in Water Conservation Areas
Land Status - 5,796 acres acquired by SFWMD (3,190 previously certified for C&SF Project). 746 acres remaining to be acquired
C&SF Restudy Component - "O"
Note: this project is dependent on the implementation of Western C-11 Impoundment and the C-9 Impoundment Project
General Description: This project is sited in western Broward County east of Water Conservation Area 3A and 3B. This project will reduce seepage loss from these WCAs to improve hydropatterns within the Conservation Areas by allowing higher water levels in the borrow canals and longer inundation within the marsh areas that are located east of the WCAs and west of US Highway 27. Seepage from the WCAs and marshes will be collected and returned to the Water Conservation Areas via features associated with the C-11 Impoundment project or stored in either the C-9 or C-11 Impoundment. Due to dependencies, this project would be implemented in combination with the C-11 and C-9 Impoundment projects.
Criticality: Millions of gallons of groundwater are lost each year as it seeps away from the Everglades towards the East Coast. This project is the first increment to control these losses and improve hydroperiods within the Water Conservation Areas. Other factors supporting initial authorization include: 1) lands were identified as suitable by both the East Coast Buffer Feasibility Analysis and the Water Preserve Areas Land Suitability Analysis; 2) lands are being actively acquired by sponsor; 3) this project is consistent with ongoing programs such as the Water Preserve Areas Feasibility Study and the Everglades Stormwater Program; and 4) acquisition and utilization of land are rapidly being lost to urbanization.
Engineering Design: New levees will be constructed west of US Highway 27 from the North New River Canal to the Miami (C-6) Canal to separate seepage water from the urban runoff in the C-11 diversion canal (Component Q). The L-37 and L-33 borrow canals will be controlled at higher stages as will the marshes located east of the WCAs. A divide structure will be added to the C-11 Canal west of US Highway 27 to maintain the separation of seepage water from urban runoff. Water from C-11 west will be stored in the C-11 Impoundment or diverted to the C-9 Impoundment. Ultimately, the water will be diverted to the North Lake Belt Storage Area once it is on line. The final size, depth and configuration of these facilities will be determined through the ongoing Water Preserve Areas Feasibility Study.
Benefits: The ability to control seepage from the natural system is the most cost-effective increment of restoring water levels in the Everglades. This project will make significant improvement toward restoring the natural conditions in the Everglades. This project will control seepage from Water Conservation Areas 3A and 3B by increasing groundwater elevations adjacent to the WCAs. Water levels in the adjacent marsh areas will provide a hydrologic buffer between the Everglades and the developed areas of Broward County.
Related Projects: The C-11 Critical Project is currently underway at this site and is fully compatible with this project. This Critical Project will segregate high quality seepage water and urban runoff, thereby reducing water quality impacts in the Water Conservation Area 3. This project is dependent on the construction of the C-11 and C-9 Impoundment Projects.
Schedule: The Water Conservation Areas 3A and 3B Levee Seepage Management project is currently scheduled for construction initiation in September 2004 with completion in September 2008. Of the 6,542 acres needed for these projects, the SFWMD has acquired 5,796 acres to date. This project would be implemented in combination with the C-11 Impoundment and Canal features. This schedule is based on a very optimistic real estate acquisition plan.
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