COMPREHENSIVE REPORT ON CENTRAL
AND SOUTHERN FLORIDA FOR FLOOD CONTROL
AND OTHER PURPOSES
_______
LETTER FROM
THE SECRETARY OF THE ARMY
TRANSMITTING
A LETTER FROM THE CHIEF OF ENGINEERS, UNITED STATES ARMY, DATED FEBRUARY 19, 1948, SUBMITTING A REPORT, TOGETHER WITH ACCOMPANYING PAPERS AND ILLUSTRATIONS, ON A PRELIMINARY EXAMINATION AND SURVEY OF, AND A REVIEW OF REPORTS ON, RIVERS, LAKES, AND CANALS OF CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN FLORIDA FOR FLOOD CONTROL AND OTHER PURPOSES, MADE PURSUANT TO CONGRESSIONAL AUTHORIZATIONS
May 6, 1948.mReferred to the Committee on Public Works and ordered to be printed, with five illustrations
UNITED STATES
GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE
WASHINGTON : 1949
CONTENTS
page v
Comments of the Department of the Interior
viScope , 14
Prior reports ............................................
II. Description:
The Kissimmee River Basin and related areas 16
Lake Okeechobee and its outlets 17
The Everglades
III. Economic development:
General- -
recreational boating and sport fishing
Urban development
Utilities 22
Transportation 22
IV. Hydrology:
Climate 22
Rainfall
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PLAINTIFF'S EXHIBIT
CONTENTS
VII.
Problems and solutions
considered
Watershed treatment
37
Recreational uses
37
Mosquito and malaria control
37
Pollution abatement and public health
38
VIII. Comprehensive plan:
General
38
Upper St. Johns and related are
38
Kissimmee River Basin and related
arum
39
Lake Okeechobee-Everglades area 40
East-coast area 42
Meteorological and hydrological control system 44
Summary of cost 45
Constru6tion program 45
IX. Economic analyses:
Estimated benefits 46
Prevention of flood damages 46
Land-use benefits 48
Additional benefits 48
Summary of benefits 50
Comparison of benefits and costs
50
X. Local cooperation:
Lands, easements, and rights-of-way 51
Relocations and alterations 51
Maintenance and operation 52
Lake Okeechobee levees and outlets 53
Highways .- 53
Division of cost-: 53
Summary of local requirements
54
Division of first cost and maintenance cost
55
Assurances of local cooperation 55
Local provisions for securing certain portions of the conservation area 56
XI. Coordination with other agencies:
Federal agencies
56
Local agencies
57
XII. Conclusions and recommendations:
Discussion
58
Conclusions
58
Recommendations
58
Recommendations of the division engineer
59
APPENDIXES MADE IN. CONNECTION WITH REPORT OF THE DISTRICT ENGINEER
(Appendixes are not printed)
-GENERAL INDEX
Appendix A--Authority and Prior Reports.
Appendix B--Economic Analyses.
Appendix C--Meteorology and Hydrology.
Appendix D---Engineering and Design.
Appendix E--Cost Estimates.
Appendix F--Reports of the Fish and Wildlife Service.
(Only sheets 1, 2, 3, 5, and 13 printed)
Sheets 1 to 3, inclusive . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . .
...............................................following report
Sheets 4 to 7, inclusive
....................................................................................with appendix B
Sheets 8 to 12, inclusive
..................................................................................with appendix C
Sheets 13 to 21, inclusive
................................................................................with appendix D
Figure 1, area of hurricanes
..............................................................................with appendix C
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department of the army,
Washington, D. C., April 26, 1948.
The SPEAKER OF THE House OF REPRESENTATIVES.
DEAR MR. SPEAKER:
I am transmitting herewith a report dated February 19, 1948, from the Chief of Engineers, United States Army, together with accompanying papers and illustrations, on a preliminary examination and survey of rivers, lakes, and canals of central and Southern Florida for flood control and other purposes. This comprehensive investigation has been made in response to a number of congressional authorizations which are listed in the report.In accordance with section 1 of Public Law 534, Seventy-eighth Congress, the proposed report of the Chief of Engineers was furnished to the Governor of Florida for his review. Comments and recommendations of the Governor regarding the proposed plan of improvement are set forth in copy of his letter of February 17 herewith.
A copy of the report was also referred to the Secretary of the Interior. The comments of the Department of the Interior are contained in the enclosed communication dated April 13, 1948.
The Bureau of the Budget advises that there is no objection to the submission of .the report to Congress.
Sincerely yours,
KENNETH C. ROYAL,
Secretary of the Army.
COMMENTS OF THE STATE OF FLORIDA
STATE OF FLORIDA, EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENT,
Tallahassee, February 17, 1948
Maj. Gen. R. C. Crawford,
Acting Chief of Engineers,
War Department,
Washington 25, D. C.
DEAR GENERAL Crawford: Receipt is acknowledged of your letter of February 13, 1948, which transmitted the proposed report of the
Chief of Engineers on the comprehensive plan for improvement of flood control in central and southern Florida. This plan has my approval as Governor of the State.
As pointed out in the report, further refinement of the plan is to be contemplated in order that it may be made to conform as nearly as possible to the desires of local interests. The questions relating to the
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LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL
allocation of costs within the State and the creation of a single State agency with authority to administer the program will, of course, have to be determined by the Florida State Legislature.
The proposed program appears to be feasible and designed to solve a grave need. I want to express the gratitude of the State for your recognition of the problem as one which touches a national asset which should be protected and assured an orderly development for the use of present and future generations.
Sincerely,
MILLARD F. CALDWELL,
Governor.
COMMENTS OF THE DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY
Washington I5, D. C., April 13, I948.
Lt. Gen. R. A. WHEELER
Chief Engineers,
Department of the Army.
MY DEAR GENERAL, WHEELER'. By letter dated February 13, 1948 (file ENGWF), General Crawford transmitted for the information and comments of the Department of the Interior your proposed report on flood control and other purposes in central and southern Florida, together with reports of the Board of Engineers for Rivers and Harbors and of the district and division engineers. I am also advised that in view of the urgent need for the flood protection and. water control contemplated in the report that it has been submitted to the Bureau of the Budget, and, in view thereof, a copy of this letter is being sent to the Director of that Bureau.
Opportunity to review your report under the provisions of Public Law 732, Seventy-ninth Congress, and in accordance with established procedures regarding coordination between Federal agencies, is greatly appreciated, since the proposal report affects the interests of the Bureau of Indian Affairs, the -National Park Service, and the Geological Survey, as well as the Fish and Wildlife Service. In this connection, it is noted that in the preparation of the district engineer's report a high degree of cooperation has been received from agencies of the Department at field level which has been of material assistance to the Corps of Engineers in the preparation of the plan of improvement. Benefit of close cooperation at regional level has also accrued to agencies of the Department and as outlined hereafter it seems evident that as plans for development are perfected, the closest cooperation should be maintained at regional level in order that certain of the proposals for development as they may affect ' the interests and obligations of interested agencies of this Department may be mutually agreed upon. To that end the views and recommendations of the various agencies are set forth rather specifically herein.
The National Park Service concurs in the general program outlined.
in your report and its objectives, in so far as the Everglades National Park is concerned, the main points for consideration are the maintenance of an adequate level of fresh ground water to prevent salt-water
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LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL VII
encroachment which would change the environment for wildlife, as well as the vegetation; and the critical need for maintaining a reasonably large supply of fresh water so that disastrous fires may be pre--vented, especially during the hazardous season between October and May when rainfall is low. Periodical flooding has always even a natural occurrence in the region of the park; it is essentially a water park. Basically, therefore, as concerns the National Park Service, the question is not one of too much water, but a guaranty that there shall not be too little.
The Everglades National Park has been established so recently that the National Park Service has had neither time nor resources to make studies as to the actual effect of the project on the park or as to the best means whereby the project may be made to contribute to the preservation of the park in its natural state, in accordance with the expressed will of the Congress.
Your report proposes that in dry periods water would be released from proposed conservation areas into the Everglades National Park which would assist in reducing fires and other damages which accompany periods of drought. It also provides for spillways along the Tamiami Canal. As stated, the floodwaters ,would not ordinary do as much damage to the park as reduction in dry season flows. However, it is essential that the release of floodwaters be adequately distributed to the natural drainage of the park so that no artificial drainage facilities will become necessary, and so that no more of the natural habitat for the wildlife be flooded than in the past.
The National Park Service concurs in this objective of the plan but advises that insufficient data are available at this time to enable the Service to determine what water-control structures would be necessary to facilitate the release of stored water into the park during dry periods and the distribution over the park of the water released or spilled. Your report does not state what definite regulations would be promulgated to insure the release of such waters.
Specifically, the Everglades National Park is a unique park area set aside by the Congress to be preserved in its natural state. If the flood-control project is to contribute to this end not adversely affect it, it seems imperative that, the details of the plan as it may affect the park be jointly worked out by the Corps of engineers and the National-Park Service.
The point of view of the Bureau of Indian Affairs is somewhat different than that of the National Park Service in that it favors proposals or programs whereby flooding may be reduced on reservation lands Or lands specifically set aside for the beneficial use of the Seminole Indians.
The Bureau approves the construction of a levee approximately parallel to the shores of Lake Okeechobee extending from Kissimmee River to Fish eating Creek with extensions along either bank of the Indian Prairie and Harney Pond Canals with adequate outlets for local drainage and control works for dry periods. The Bureau believes that this protective work and. canal improvements for water control will greatly benefit ~he 35,800 acres of grazing and agricultural lands on the Seminole Indian Reservation in Glades County where the Bureau of Indian Affairs is endeavoring to rehabilitate the Florida Seminole Indians.
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On the other hand, the Bureau of .Indian Affairs .protests the proposed plan of developing a water conservation area in Broward County which would take in all of the State Seminole Indian Reservation consisting of 104,800 acres. It is pointed out that these lands were specifically set aside for the beneficial use of the Seminole Indians by the State of Florida, and that if the proposed plan is carried through it will deprive the Seminoles of a valuable grazing and hunting area.
During dry periods, from about December through May, the/Juneau of Indian Affairs has secured benefits from these lands in Broward County by grazing several hundred of the Seminole cattle, a part of the herd being developed on the Hendry County Reservation. It appears that if this area is turned into a water conservation area. the Seminoles would lose grazing benefits and all big game would be driven from the area.
Recommendations have been made heretofore at regional level by the superintendent of the Indian Agency at Fort Myers through advisement of the district engineer at Jacksonville, Fla., of the plans regarding the development and protection of the Big Cypress Reservation and the State Indian reservation from floodwaters; also long-range plans for developing a livestock program for the Seminole Indians of Florida. He recommended that a canal and dike be constructed running north and south along the Collier-Broward County line which would help to protect the lower sections of the Federal reservation in Hendry County from floodwaters.
It is further recommended that a plan be devised to protect the State Indian reservation from flooding by either locating the proposed north-south canal 6 miles farther east or by some other means so that the Seminoles would not lose the use of thence lands which are badly needed for their livestock operations. If the canal is constructed as proposed along the Collier-Broward County line, it will be necessary to provide a stock driveway over the canal so that the Indians can reach the State Indian reservation lands during the winter grazing season.
The Fish and Wildlife Service has heretofore furnished two reports to the district engineer. The first, submitted on October 31, 1947, was a preliminary evaluation report on the Everglades drainage and flood-control project, and the second, submitted December 18, 1947, was a preliminary evaluation report on the central Florida drainage and flood-control project. The Fish and Wildlife Service advises that these two reports were both of a preliminary nature and both prepared in the relatively short time between October 9, 1947, and December
The Fish and Wildlife Service finds that on review of the comprehensive report three points are not clear and require amendment as follows.
1. In paragraph 70, item (b), it should be made clear that the estimates of annual benefits of $291,000 arc preliminary estimates which may be revised following more complete studies.
2. Paragraph 39, item (d), should be amended by the addition of the following:
This Service leases and manages the lstokpoga Refuge in the vicinity of Lake Istokpoga, and plans are being made for the eventual establishment of a refuge in the Loxahatchee area.
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LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL IX
3. Paragraph 48, should state that
The extensive changes wrought in the Everglades areas will result in the loss
of' certain unique wildlife habitats. The Fish and .Wildlife Service decries
this loss even though it may be overshadowed by benefit to the fishery..
Aside from the points mentioned above, the Fish and Wildlife Service advises that the report considers fish and. wildlife as adequately as it can in light of the preliminary, nature of the Service's findings. It is requested, however, at such tune as the definite project reports may be prepared, that the Fish and Wildlife Service be given an opportunity to recommend measures to insure minimum damage to, and maximum benefits for, wildlife resources.
In addition to specific recommendations outlined heretofore, your report brings up certain questions relating to the water investigational program of the Geological Survey, particularly in the Everglades and the lower east coast of Florida. The investigations in these areas, being cooperative in nature, are supported in part by funds from several State agencies and municipalities and are for the purpose of providing water data for a substantial number of activities of local, as well as Federal interests. It is considered highly important that such investigations be assured not only continuity but proper expansion leading up to a well coordinated network of water measurements. ground-water observation, and chemical sampling stations, which are adequate for all future needs. Such a well-balanced program is also of value to the regional activities of the National Park Service, the Fish and Wildlife Service, the Bureau of Indian Affairs, as well as for your program.
It is apparent that the characteristics of the waters with respect to their occurrence, movement, and quality, will be appreciably changed by the proposed flood control and other works in southern Florida. The definition of these characteristics is being accomplished by the Geological Survey largely in cooperation with a considerable number of State and municipal agencies and in some part through the transfer of funds to the Geological Survey by the Corps of Engineers. This joint and well-coordinated undertaking has developed basic water data of value, not only to your agency in its proposed plan but to the bureaus of the Department. heretofore enumerated and to bureaus of other Federal agencies. The data are also vital to the non-Federal development in the area fields, such as irrigation, municipal, and industrial water supply, and highway drainage and design.
The assurance of continuity in the Geological Survey's program of basic, water investigations is made the more important by the proposed flood-control program. The past records of stream and canal flow, water-table elevations and variations in chemical quality would, in many areas, remain of value only as records of the antecedent conditions. The new characteristics produced by the proposed physical works would necessarily be redefined in order to determine the availability of water under all conditions of flood and drought for the many interested parties and the numerous activities referred to above.
I have no reason to believe but that the Corps of Engineers will recognize the responsibilities of the Geological Survey to the large number of Federal, State, and municipal agencies in the continued
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LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL
Study of the waters of southern Florida and in the correlation and release or the water data in such a form that it can be readily used for the operations and developments within the scope of the many local activities.
The Department concurs in the comprehensive plan of improvement proposed in the report desired to remove excess water from urban, pasture, and farm lands, to conserve water for control of ground-water levels during dry periods, and to prevent overflow of the coastal area by water from the Everglades. However, as concerns programs which may affect the Everglades National Park, it is felt imperative that plans of operation should be the subject of negotiated agreements between the Corps of Engineers and the National Park Service prior to construction and so recognized in authorizing legislation for the project. As to the recommendations and views of the Bureau of Indian Affairs, the Fish and Wildlife Service, and the Geological Survey, as outlined herein, I trust that they will be given earnest consideration during the formulation of the definite plans and in the carrying out of project operations.
Sincerely yours,
William G. Warned
Assistant Secretary of the Interior.
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COMPREHENSIVE REPORT ON CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN FLORIDA FOR FLOOD CONTROL AND OTHER PURPOSES
REPORT OF THE CHIEF OF ENGINEERS, UNITED STATES ARMY
DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY,
OFFICE OF THE CHIEF OF ENGINEERS,
Subject: Report on central and southern Florida for flood control and
1. I submit for transmission to the Congress my report on the rivers, lakes, and canals of central and southern Florida for flood control, and other purposes. This is a report of great significance to the Nation, as it concerns a large and potentially rich and productive section of the State of Florida. The development of this region,
however, has been retrograded by destructive floods aggravated by winds of hurricane force, as well as by recun4-ng periods of drought.2. This report has been made in response to authorizations in various flood-control and river and harbor acts of Congress, and in response to resolutions of appropriate congressional committees, which provide for preliminary examinations and surveys of rivers, lakes, and canals in the upper St. Johns, Kissimmee, Lake Okeechobee-Caloosahatchee, and Everglades drainage areas. The problems of flood protection, drainage, and water control in these areas are physically interrelated, and the areas form a single economic unit.. Accordingly, a single comprehensive survey has been made in response to the congressional authorizations, and- the resulting unified plan of improvement is presented in this report.
3. The area under consideration embraces some 15,570 square miles in central and southern Florida. Development and settlement of this area h~ progressed in spite of the 6ifficulties inherent in a land where there is either too much or too little water, according to variations of the seasons and changes from year to year. Hurricane-driven floods of 1926 and 1928 resulted in he loss of some 2,500 lives in the area around Lake Okeechobee, producing one of the greatest disasters in the histor7 of this Nation. The existing Federal project for flood control and navigation on Lake Okeechobee and its outlets has afforded a high degree of protection against a repetition of such a disaster. In addition, numerous drainage and flood-control works constructed by local interests have been instrumental in bringing the area to its present degree of development. However, the problem of "too much water" has not yet been solved, as the recent flood of 1947 caused damages estimated at $59,000,000, during the summer
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2 CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN FLORIDA FLOOD CONTROL
and fall of that year, even though direct overflow from Lake Okeechobee was prevented by Federal protective works. Recession of floodwaters has been so slow that gravity drainage from some agricultural areas is not yet possible as of the ({ate of tiffs report. Floods of similar magnitude occur with relative frequency, and minor flooding occurs almost every Year. On the other hand, (luring the dry Years from 1943 through 146, cattle died in the pastures of the Kissimmee Valley for lack of water; smoke from burning muck lands of the Everglades darkened the coastal cities; and salt water moved inland along drainage canals and through the underlying ~'~,ck as the supply of fresh water diminished.
4. The district engineer has prepared a comprehensive plan of improvement for flood protection, water control, and allied purposes. It provides the protection and control works urgently needed to prevent a repetition of recent destructive flooding, as well as the related major drainage outlets, control structures, and water-conservation facilities which are needed to stabilize the present agricultural economy of the region and are essential to ultimate development. The details of this plan of improvement are set forth in the report of the district engineer included herewith. Tile first cost of the plan of improvement is estimated at $208,135,000. The cost of its maintenance and operation is estimated at, $3,703,000 annually.
5. Development of the comprehensive plan of improvement would afford a high degree of flood protection throughout this area would provide for removal of excess waters in wet seasons, and for their control, storage, and use in maintaining water levels during dry periods. Adequate control of water levels is essential for agricultural use of ]ands in this area and for maintenance of municipal water supplies. Tile comprehensive plan would benefit in varying degrees over 2.300,000 acres of land, as well as numerous cities and towns, in addition to these primary purposes, the improvements would reduce the, dry season intrusion of salt, water into lands and water supplies of ,costal areas. Its features would produce substantial benefits from the preservation of fish and wildlife resources. Although the navigation benefits are relatively small and incidental when compared with the primary features of flood protection and water control, the proposed channels and control works would afford the basic framework for a system of interlocking navigable waterways throughout central and southern Florida, which would connect at several points ~with the Intercostals Waterway. Investigation of tile feasibility of correlating ~.additional navigation improvements with the works pro-passel under this plan is already provided for in reports requested by Congress under other authorizations.
6. This comprehensive plan of improvement is a modification and extension of the existing federal project for the Caloosahatchee and Lake Okeechobee drainage areas, Florida, which was authorized by the River and Harbor Acts of July 3, 1930, and modified in subsequent acts of Congress. As indicated above, the comprehensive plan of improvement will serve the purposes of flood protection, drainage, and water control to a far greater degree than navigation. Consequently, it is believed that this project should be considered henceforth as one for flood control and other purposes, and that its further consideration should be under the provisions of flood-control law.
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CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN .FLORIDA FLOOD CONTROL 3
7. The plan as a whole and each of its major features are multiple-purpose in concept and design. Accordingly, each feature of the plan contributes to the realization of the primary benefits through hood protection, drainage, and control of water. Analysis of the benefits and costs of the plan of improvement shows clearly that it is intensified economically by a wide margin.
8. The studies of the reporting officers show that benefits will accrue in large measure to the Nation as a whole, as well as to the State and local interests concerned. In recognition of the scope and type of benefits of this project, the district engineer has made a division of coast between the Federal Government. and local interests which I believe is a safe and sound method for taking into account the relative national and local interest involved. He finds that large local benefits in the form of increased land use warrant a contribution by local interests of $29,152,000 toward construction of the project, in addition ~ o the minimum requirements of local cooperation prescribed by flood-control law. The Board of Engineers for Rivers and Harbors has reviewed this aspect of the problem and believes that this contribution should be n, et by local interests as this work progresses by payments of 15 percent of' the construction cost of each feature of the work, as it reaches the construction stage. This procedure would afford a practical means of payment by local interests over the period in which the project is developed. It should be noted, however, that application of 15 percent of the construction cost of each feature, to determine the local participation in that feature, does not necessarily imply that this charge should be borne only by local interests in the immediate locality of the feature to be constructed. In most cases project features are closely interrelated from an engineering standpoint and produce benefits extending beyond immediate locations of the Works. The apportioning of local costs among various areas and interests, and the securing of funds by taxation or other methods to meet local charges, is properly a function of the State or other responsible local agency which may be established to administer the requirements local cooperation. In this connection, I concur with the district engineer in his suggestion that there should be established, preferably by the State of Florida, a single local agency with which the Federal Government can deal on all matters of local cooperation on this project.
9. The comprehensive plan of improvement presented in this report is a long-range plan for development by progressive stages over a period of time, but its benefits will accrue proportionately as successive features of the plan are completed. The Board of Engineers for Rivers and Harbors finds that the first phase of the project should be construction of the principal structures required for protection of the east coast area and the principal works necessary to control lake levels and reduce flood damage in the improved area south of Lake Okeechobee. The estimated cost of this first phase is $70,000,000. Local interests have stressed their need for immediate protection against repetition of a flood such as that of 1947. Initiation of the first phase will begin to provide that immediate relief and completion of this phase will afford a substantial part of the necessary flood protection for present developed areas.
10. The Board of Engineers for Rivers and Harbors has given careful consideration to the procedure for maintenance and operation of this
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4 CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN FLORIDA FLOOD CONTROL
project. I am in full agreement with the view of the Board that
maintenance and operation should be by local interests at local cost, except for
maintenance and operation of specified major protection and control works which should remain a Federal responsibility.
11. I note that the Board of Engineers concurs with the district
engineer's finding that certain island lands in Lake Okeechobee cannot be protected adequately at reasonable cost; but, unlike the district engineer, considers that local interests should be permitted to make such use of these islands as they may desire at their own risk. I concur with the findings of the Board on this matter.12. There has been constant coordination with local interests throughout the preparation of this plan and report. The State of Florida and local organizations have expressed themselves as favoring, generally, the comprehensive plan of improvement. Differences of opinion exist only on minor details of the plan and on the location and ' size of certain features. As indicated by the Board of Engineers
for Rivers and Harbors, further refinement of the plan, to make it conform as nearly as possible to the desires of local interests, will be undertaken in cooperation with a responsible State or local agency prior to construction, in accordance with the usual procedure on projects of this kind.13. The district engineer's plan and report have also been coordinated with other Federal agencies which have an interest in this area. The framework of the plan itself has been established in conformity with the investigations and soil surveys made by the Soil Conservation Service of the Department of Agriculture in cooperation with tile United States Geological Survey and State of Florida. The regional office of the Fish and Wildlife Service of the Department of the Interior has assisted the district engineer with suggestions which have been incorporated into the plan of improvement, and has furnished estimates of benefits that will accrue from preservation of fish and wildlife resources. The office of Indian affairs for the State. of Florida has endorsed the proposed plan of improvement and recognized its beneficial effects upon Seminole Indian Reservation lands. The superintendent of the Seminole Indian Agency has also pointed out that certain other lands, held in trust by the State of Florida for the Indians, have been included within the limits of conservation areas, and has requested revisions with respect to these lands. In this connection, it is my understanding that adjustment for use of these lands is properly a matter between the State of Florida and the Indians. Consequently, the State should give proper consideration to such lands in its action in providing lands for the project. The plan of improvement has also been developed in full recognition of the importance of the Everglades National Park which has been established recently at the southwestern tip of the Florida peninsula. Release of water from conservation storage will assist in restoring and maintaining natural conditions within the national park area, by reducing damage from drought and fire which have threatened the preservation of lands, vegetation, and wildlife.
14. In summary, I conclude that the comprehensive plan of improvement presented by the reporting officers, and recommended by
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CENTRAL A1N'D SOUTHERN FLORIDA FLOOD CONTROL
the Board of Engineers for Rivers and Harbors, provides the basic framework for a practical and permanent solution of the problems of flood protection and water control in central and southern Florida. The mild climate and inherent fertility of this area make inevitable its continued development. Under the disruptive influences of flood and drought, this development will go forward in a haphazard manner, with eventual loss of irreplaceable resources of water and soil. The existence and functioning of the proposed plan of improvement will remove these hazards and provide the pattern for progressive protection and development. Since the area is unique in its combination of a semitropical climate with fertile soil and abundant water, it represents a national asset which should be protected and assured an orderly development for the use of present and future generations. In addition, flood protection and major drainage improvement are urgently needed as an emergency measure.
15. The comprehensive plan of improvement as a whole should be adopted by the Congress, as such approval will permit planning of individual features to proceed in a logical manner and will enable the Corps of Engineers to work out remaining details in coordination with the State or local agency concerned. The first phase of the improvement with an estimated cost of $70,000,000 should be undertaken at the earliest possible date as a matter of great urgency.
16. I have given careful consideration to the plan presented by the reporting officer~ and to the views of the Board of Engineers for Rivers and Harbors. I concur with the Board of Engineers for Rivers and Harbor~ in recommending modification of the existing Federal project for the Caloosahatchee and Lake Okeechobee drainage areas to provide for further improvement in the interests of flood control, drainage., and related purposes, generally in accordance with the district engineer's comprehensive plan for flood control and other purposes la central and southern Florida, with such modifications thereof as in
the discretion of the Secretary of the Army and Chief of Engineers may be advisable, at an estimated cost to the United States of $171,041,000 for construction and $749,000 annually for maintenance and operation, subject to the conditions that local interests shall provide all lauds, easements and rights-of-way.; make a cash contribution of 15 percent of the estimated construction cost for each part of the work prior to its initiation, except that the total cash contribution for the comprehensive project shall not exceed $29,152,000; and furnish assurances satisfactory to the Secretary o~ the Army 'that they will hold and save the United States free from damages due to the construction and operation of the works and that they will maintain and operate all the works after completion in accordance with regulations prescribed by the Secretary of the Army, except the levees, channels, locks, and control works of the St. Lucie Canal, Lake Okeechobee, and Caloosahatchee River and the main spillways of the conservation areas.R. A Wheeler
Lieutenant General, Chief of Engineers.
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6
CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN FLORIDA. FLOOD CONTROL
REPORT OF THE BOARD OF ENGINEERS FOR RIVERS AND HARBORS
DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY,
THE BOARD OF ENGINEERS FOR RIVERS AND HARBORS
Washington, February 9, 1948.
Subject: Central and southern Florida.
To: The Chief of Engineers United States Army.
1. This report is in response to the following resolutions adopted May 29, 1940, October 23, 1945, October 24, 1945, May 28, 1946, June 19, 1946, and July 5, 1946:
Resolved by the Committee on Rivers and Harbors of the House of Representatives, United States, That the Board of Engineers for Rivers and Harbors created under section 3 of the River and Harbor Act, approved June 13, 1902. be and is hereby, requested to review the reports on Caloosahatchee River and Lake Okeechobee drainage areas, Florida, submitted in Senate Document Numbered 213, Seventieth Congress, second session, and subsequent reports, with a view to determining whether the existing project should be modified in any way at the present time. to provide protection for Kreamer, Ritta, and Torry Islands in the southern' portion of Lake Okeechobee.
Resolved by the Committee on Flood Control. House of Representatives. That the Board of Engineers for rivers and Harbors, created under section 3 of the River and Harbor Act approved June 13, 1902, be, and is hereby requested to review the report on the Caloosahatchee River and Lake Okeechobee drainage area. Florida, published as House Document Numbered 215, Seventieth Congress, first session, and subsequent reports, with a view to determining the advisability of modifying the existing project in the interest of drainage and flood control along the West Palm Beach Canal and the Hillsboro Canal.
Resolved by the Committee on Commerce of the United States Senate, That the Board of Engineers for Rivers and Harbors. created under section 3 of the River and Harbor Act, approved June 13, 1902, be, and is hereby, requested to review the report on the Caloosahatchee Riger and Lake Okeechobee drainage area, Florida, published as House Document Numbered 215, Seventieth Congress, first session, and subsequent reports, with a view to determining the advisability of modifying the existing project in the interest of drainage and flood control along the West Palm Beach Canal and the Hillsboro Canal.
Resolved by the Committee on Flood Control, House of Representatives, That the Board of Engineers for Rivers and Harbors created under section 3 of the River and Harbor Act approved June 13, 1902, be and is hereby requested to review the report on the Caloosahatchee River and Lake Okeechobee drainage area, Florida, published as House Document Numbered 215, Seventieth Congress, first session, and subsequent reports, with a view to determining the advisability of drainage improvement and flood control along North New River Canal in Broward County, Florida.
Resolved by the Committee on Commerce of the United States Senate,
That the Board of Engineers for Rivers and Harbors, created under section 3 of the River and
Harbor Act, approved June 13, 1902, be, and is hereby, requested to review the report on Caloosahatchee River and Lake
Okeechobee drainage areas, Florida,
submitted in Senate Document Numbered 115 session, and previous reports, with a view
providing additional control works in the Caloosahatchee River, Florida, for
controlling floods and improving ground water conditions adjacent to the river.
Resolved by the Committee on Flood Control, House of Representatives, That the
Board of Engineers for Rivers and Harbors, created under section 3 of the River
and Harbor Act, approved June 13, 1902, be, and is hereby requested to review
the report on the Caloosahatchee River and Lake Okeechobee drainage areas,
Florida, published a House Document Numbered 215, Seventieth Congress, first
session, and other reports covering the St. Lucie River. with a view to determining
the advisability of undertaking improvements in the interest of flood control and for
other purposes along the north fork of the St. Lucie River and its tributaries,
Florida.
It is also in review of the reports on preliminary examination and survey of Kissimmee River Valley and its tributaries, Florida, author-
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CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN FLORIDA FLOOD CONTROL
sized by the Flood Control Act approved August 28, 1937; Kissimmee River, Fla., including regulation and stabilization of water levels, authorized by the Flood Control Act approved August 11, 1939; Indian River, upper St. Johns River and Marsh, and North Fork, St. Lucia River, and their tributaries, the Kissimmee River and its tributaries, Florida, authorized by the Flood Control Act approved August 18, 1941; Fish eating Creek, Fla., authorized by the River and Harbor Act approved March 2, 1945; West Palm beach Canal, Hillsboro Canal, New River Canal, and Miami Canal. for' the purpose of raising the water table in the area of lake Okeechobee, Fla., authorized by the River and Harbor Act approved July 24, 1946; and Caloosahatchee River and Lake Okeechobee drainage
Florida, for drainage improvement and flood control along North New River Canal in Broward County, Fla., authorized by the Flood Control Act approved July 24, 1946.
2. Tile streams covered in these authorizations drain a relatively fiat area of 15,570 square miles in central and southern Florida anti have interrelated problems of flood control and drainage. The St. Johns headwaters area consists of lakes, marshes, and prairie lands at elevations from 22 to 24 feet above sea level, parts of which, with varying degrees of saturation and winds, drain either westward toward the Kissimmee River, r, southward toward the St. Lucia River, or northward through the St. Johns River. The Kissimmee River Basin comprising an area of 4,375 square miles, is generally fiat with a gentle slope southward toward Lake Okeechobee, and is dotted with shallow lakes and interconnecting sloughs and channel~. The river has its source in several small streams near the city of Orlando at elevation 60 and flows southward through Lake Kissimmee at elevation 52 and through the fiat prairie lands south of the lake to empty into Lake Okeechobee, a nearly circular body of fresh water, 730 square miles in area. Lake Okeechobee originally had a surface elevation ranging from about 12 to 19 feet above mean sea level. It had no well-defined outlet. At the higher levels water from the lake would spread over the vast Everglades area to the south or spill slowly into the fiat areas to the west of the lake to reach the Caloosahatchee River, or escape through seepage and overland flow to various sloughs to the east. Control of the lake has been obtained by the construction of levees along the south and east shores, and by outlet canals connecting the St. Lucie River and several other small streams on the Atlantic coast and the Caloosahatchee River on tile Gulf coast. Lake level is maintained insofar as possible between 12.56 and 15.56 feet above mean sea level. The Everglades, a grassy marsh roughly 40 miles wide and 100 miles long, extends from the lake southward to the sea at the southern end of Florida. Water from the lake originally, entered the area by seepage and overflow, and together with the rain water that fell over the area, flowed slowly through the grass and other vegetation to escape eastward and ~southward to the sea through same streams along the,. coast. The strip of sandy land, 5 to 10 miles in width, containing the highly developed recreational and agricultural areas along the Atlantic coast, forms the eastern border of the Everglades.
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8 CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN FLORIDA FLOOD CONTROL
3. Much of the land in the area under consideration was transferred be the United States under the Swamp and Overflowed Land Grant Act of Sept. ember 28, 1850, to the State of Florida and is still owned be the State. The Everglades embracing 2,800.000 acres was the largest
single unit transferred. Construction of six major canals for the drainage, of those fertile muck lands: Caloosahatchee, Miami North New River, Hillsboro. West Palm Beach, and St. Lucie was accomplished by the 'Everglades Drainage District, a State agency, between 1906 and 1928. Expenditures totaled $18,000,000 and although the work performed was of limited character it was largely responsible for an important agricultural development comprising} about 130,000 acres south of Lake Okeechobee. Sub drainage districts have bee ~ formed in this area which together with individual landowners and corporations have constructed ditches, dikes, and pumping plants valued at approximately $5,000,000. In addition, similar sub drainage districts have been formed along the east. same border of the Everglades between West Palm Beach and -Miami, in the upper St. Johns River Basin, in the North Fork of St. Lucie River area, and in parts of the Kissimmee Basin where truck farming is in progress. Expenditures for water control in these latter areas approximate $6,000,000. Federal projects for improvement provide for a navigable depth of 8 feet from the Intracoastal Waterway at St. Lucie Inlet on the Atlantic coast across the State by way of ST.. Lucie Canal, Lake Okeechobee, and the Caloosahatchee River to the Gulf of-~Mexico at Punta Rase, With a number of connecting channels. The total length, h of this waterway is 155 miles. The improvement includes control works in the St.. Lucie Ca, al and Caloosahatchee River for regulating the level of Lake Okeechobee, and levees around the southern and northern shores of the lake having a total length of 68 miles. Present operating procedures for control of lake level contemplate a range of stage of from 12..56 to 15.56 feet above mean sea. level. The prior is completed except for deepening the authorized channels from 6 feet to 8 feet, and malting certain modifications of the control structures.4. The population of the 18 counties in or tributary to the area under consideration is 727,000, a large part of which is concentrated along the east-coast ridge, around Lake Okeechobee, and on the borders of the Kissimmee River Basin. Wide interior areas are in undeveloped in marshlands and pasture, and remain sparsely settled. Production of vegetables, sugarcane, ramie, and citrus fruits, and cattle raising art; the predominant agricultural activities of the area. Truck farming is earned on immediately south of Lake Okeechobee, in smaller areas the Kissimmee River Basin, and along the eastern border of the Everglades. Citrus fruits are produced in the area from the, western and northern limits of the Kissimmee Basin to the Davit area in the Everglades southwest of Fort Lauderdale. About 268,000 acre are
in citrus grove. Farming in the fiat muck lands of the Everglades requires diking to prevent overflow by high water on the surrounding land, and shipping plants to remove water during wet periods and to supply water during dry periods. Cattle raising is the chief industry .of the Kissimmee and St. Johns areas and in recent years has spread into parts of the Everglades. About 120,000 head of cattle are marketed from the area each year.5. Flood conditions occur frequently in the area and are caused by
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CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN FLORIDA FLOOD CONTROL 9
lakes, streams and canals, and spreads in thin sheets over vast areas of the flatlands to move slowly as overland flow in the direction of the prevailing slope. The inundation, which lasts for weeks at a time, destroys crops and pasture and requires evacuation of inhabitants and livestock. Major floods, which occur about once in every 6 years in the St. Johns area affect 1,050,000 acres. In the Kissimmee and adjacent Fish eating Creek areas the occurrence is of similar frequency and 598,000 acres are affected. The farm lands of the Everglades and all the towns lying generally south of the lake are still subject to destructive flooding by continued heavy rainfall, which existing artificial canals and pumping plants cannot remove, and also to overland flow from adjacent undeveloped areas. The urban east-coast area from West Palm Beach