
The C-111 canal in south Miami-Dade County is the southernmost canal of the Central and South Florida (C&SF) Flood Control Project. The canal was constructed under the authority of the Flood Control Act of 1962 to extend flood protection while improving conservation and distribution of available water. The canal provides several critical functions, including flood damage reduction for the roughly 100-square-mile C-111 basin.
The C-111 Spreader Canal Western Project is an enhancement to the 1994 C-111 General Reevaluation Report. The project will improve Everglades National Park (ENP) conditions by establishing more natural water flows in Taylor Slough, thus improving the timing, distribution, and quantity of water in Florida Bay. The project affects about 252,000 acres of wetlands and coastal habitat.
The project will create a 6-mile hydraulic ridge adjacent to ENP that will keep more of the natural rainfall and water flows within Taylor Slough. The hydraulic ridge will be created by constructing a 590-acre aboveground detention area in the Frog Pond area, installing two 225 cubic-feet-per-second pump stations, and integrating other project features. The project will also begin restoration of the Southern Glades and Model Lands with an operable structure in the lower C-111 canal, incremental operational changes at the S-18C structure, a plug at S-20A, operational changes at the S-20 structure, and construction of earthen plugs at the C-110 canal.