PROJECT PURPOSE
A water preserve area is a large-scale structure designed to capture and retain water in the landscape for gradual release, for the purpose of mimicking a more natural stormwater flow regime. The purpose of the Ten Mile Creek WPA is to provide seasonal and temporary storage of peak stormwater flows from the Ten Mile Creek basin and to slowly release those flows back into the creek to moderate the salinity levels and reduce sediment loads in the downstream St. Lucie River and Estuary.
PROJECT DESCRIPTION
Project features include an above-ground reservoir of approximately 526 acres surrounded by a 12 to 15-foot tall embankment. The reservoir was designed to store up to 6,000 acre feet of water at an average depth of 10 feet. The project also includes the following components: a natural preserve area, a pump station for filling the reservoir from Ten Mile Creek, a gated water level control structure for the moderated release of water back to the creek, and a 132-acre STA with associated pumps and structures for water treatment and release.
PROJECT STATUS
The Ten Mile Creek WPA project has been in a passive operating state since 2009. Temporary operational testing of the reservoir was conducted for data collection purposes from Dec. 15, 2011, to March 2012 to monitor and evaluate the performance of the reservoir. Upon completion of the limited operations of the Ten Mile Creek WPA, all water was pumped out of the reservoir and back into Ten Mile Creek and the project has been returned to a passive operating state. The data collected is being used by the government and will assist the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in identifying the future operation plan for the Ten Mile Creek WPA.
PROJECT LOCATION
The Ten Mile Creek WPA is located in St. Lucie County near Fort Pierce at the headwaters of the North Fork of the St. Lucie River Aquatic Preserve.
FOR MORE INFORMATION
KIM VITEK, Project Manager
US Army Corps of Engineers
701 San Marco Blvd. Jacksonville, FL 32207
(904) 232-2583
kimberly.a.vitek@usace.army.mil