The southern earthen plug located along Reach 3 of the Kissimmee River Restoration project has been removed, connecting a portion of the excavated oxbow to the C-38 Canal, located on the Kissimmee River. The work to remove the plug began March 12, 2012, and was completed March 13, 2012. During this time, over 80 percent of the volume of water flowed into the oxbow.
“ Approximately 7,400 linear feet of material was excavated from this historic oxbow in an effort to duplicate the original meandering pattern, gradient, and cross-sectional area, ” said Tiphanie Jinks, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers project manager . “The excavated material was temporarily placed on an existing spoil mound adjacent to the Kissimmee River for placement into the channelized Kissimmee River beginning late 2012.”
The Kissimmee River Restoration project is a congressionally authorized undertaking sponsored by the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers and the South Florida Water Management District, the non-federal sponsor. The project encompasses the removal of two water control structures, filling approximately 22 miles of canal, and restoring over 40 square miles of the river channel and floodplain ecosystem, including approximately 27,000 acres of wetlands.
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Dredging Today Staff, March 20, 2012; Image: usace