SFWMD Operates L-28 Pumps To Save Wildlife From Ongoing
High Water Emergency
With Water Conservation Area 3A still holding over a foot of excess water, water managers install temporary pumps to help lower water levels
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| SFWMD Field Station staff install temporary pumps along the L-28 levee to pump water out of Water Conservation Area 3A into the Big Cypress National Preserve. Click on the image for a larger version. |
Western Miami-Dade County, FL- The South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD) has installed three temporary pumps that will add to ongoing efforts to alleviate the high water emergency in Water Conservation Area (WCA) 3A caused by heavy summer rainfall.
"Pumping to reduce the amount of standing water in WCA 3A is crucial because the longer it remains, the more damage it will inflict upon animals and delicate tree islands," said SFWMD Governing Board Chairman Dan O'Keefe. "This latest effort is another testament to our hard-working staff, who have quickly devised and implemented several measures aimed at providing critical relief during this ongoing emergency situation."
Staff from SFWMD's Miami, Okeechobee and Clewiston field stations cooperated on the project, which installed three pumps along the L-28 levee. A fourth pump will be installed by next week. All four pumps combined will be able to move 200 cubic feet per second (cfs) from Water Conservation Area 3A west to the Big Cypress National Preserve. The pumps will be able to run 24-hours-per day until the high water emergency in the conservation area is alleviated.
The District received nearly twice its average rainfall in June and about 150 percent its average rainfall in July Districtwide. The water levels in Water Conservation Area 3A on August 3 was measured at 11.31 feet, more than a foot above its desired level for this time of year according to the conservation area's regulation schedule.
When water levels stay high for too long in the conservation areas it can cause wildlife drowning and damage critical parts of the Everglades ecosystem.
Since the Florida Department of Environmental Protection declared a state of emergency in the water conservation areas in June, the District has been using every available method to try to lower the water levels. Efforts include operating all structures at the maximum levels allowed to move as much water as possible out to tide and Everglades National Park.
