The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Jacksonville District, has initiated backfilling operations on a portion of the C-38 Canal, as part of the Kissimmee River Restoration Project.
Navigation will be interrupted for approximately 1.5 miles along the channelized Kissimmee River (C-38 Canal) beginning at the US 98 bridge and extending south for the duration of construction.
It is anticipated that backfilling operations will take approximately one year to complete. Access to the river will remain open at the Istokpoga, S-65C and S-65D boat ramps.
“ Backfilling portions of the C-38 Canal will restore pre-channelized conditions along the Kissimmee River, allowing native plants and animals to return to the area ,” said Tiphanie Jinks, Jacksonville District project manager . “ Backfilling will also restore the floodplain to its natural appearance and hydrologic function .”
Backfilling operations are being conducted as part of the C-38 Reach 3 Backfill and Bass Embankment Degrade construction contract that was awarded to BCPeabody Construction Services Inc., of Tampa, Fla., in September 2015.
Additional backfilling of the C-38 Canal will be performed, as part of the Kissimmee River Restoration project, north of the US 98 bridge for approximately 6.5 miles at a future date.
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.
Once completed, the Kissimmee River Restoration Project will restore more than 40 square miles of river-floodplain ecosystem, including almost 20,000 acres of wetlands and 44 miles of historic river channel.
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