Michael L Parsons Coastal Watershed Institute Florida Gulf Coast University Areas Flooded in 1947 Areas Flooded in 1926 amp 1928 Hurricanes in 1926 and 1928 resulted in extensive flooding around Lake Okeechobee ID: 716361
Download Presentation The PPT/PDF document "Historical Context: How has the Caloosah..." is the property of its rightful owner. Permission is granted to download and print the materials on this web site for personal, non-commercial use only, and to display it on your personal computer provided you do not modify the materials and that you retain all copyright notices contained in the materials. By downloading content from our website, you accept the terms of this agreement.
Slide1
Historical Context: How has the Caloosahatchee River/Estuary been altered? How does it fit within the broader system?
Michael L. Parsons
Coastal Watershed Institute
Florida Gulf Coast UniversitySlide2
Areas Flooded
in 1947
Areas Flooded
in 1926 & 1928
Hurricanes in 1926 and 1928 resulted in extensive flooding around Lake Okeechobee
Hurricane in
1947 resulted in widespread
flooding throughout
South Florida
State of Florida requested
federal
assistance in1947Congress authorized the C&SF Project in 1948
Historical Problems Leading to Construction
of Central and South Florida (C&SF) ProjectSlide3
River Channelization
Herbert Hoover Dike
Water Conservation Areas
Protective Levees
Everglades Agricultural Area
Lower East CoastDrainage Network
Salinity Structures
Major Features of the C&SF ProjectSlide4
Pre-drainage Flows
Managed Flows
(circa 2010)
Water FlowsSlide5
A Brief History of the Caloosahatchee
The Caloosahatchee was a sinuous river originating in the natural marshlands west of Lake Okeechobee.
In 1881, a canal (C-43) was dredged to connect the Caloosahatchee River to Lake Okeechobee.
Three lock-and-dam structures were added to control flow and stage height in the lake and canal.
S-77 at Moore Haven on Lake Okeechobee and S-78 at
Ortona
were completed in the 1930s
S-79 (W.P. Franklin Lock and Dam) at Olga was completed in 1966 to assure a freshwater supply for Lee County and to prevent saltwater intrusion.
Dredging activities widened and deepened the river.Slide6
Location of the three lock and dam structures
S-79
S-78
S-77Slide7
Caloosahatchee WatershedSlide8
The Caloosahatchee is a Managed Syste
m
The river (and therefore its ecosystem) has been altered
How has the system changed?
What can be done to reduce/reverse impacts?
What have scientific studies taught us in relation to these questions?