Big Cypress Seminole Indian Reservation Water Conservation Plan

Background

The Big Cypress Seminole Indian Reservation Water Conservation Plan project was authorized in the Water Resources Development Act of 1996 as a critical restoration project. The project will rehydrate wetlands, and improve water quality and water storage capacity on the Seminole Tribe’s Big Cypress Basin Reservation, the Big Cypress National Preserve, and the Everglades Protection Area. The project accommodates the Seminole Tribe of Florida’s water entitlement, supports sustainable agriculture, and contributes to the restoration of the western Everglades ecosystem basin. The project is 50-50 cost-shared with a $60 million total project funding capacity.

Project Benefits

The project provides these beneficial effects:

  • Improves 14,000 acres of swamp, hardwood hammocks, cypress sloughs, prairies and pine flatwoods.
  • Provides water quality treatment of agricultural water runoff within the reservation by naturally removing phosphorus and other pollutants that otherwise would be discharged to the Big Cypress Preserve and Everglades Protection Area.
  • Reduces the likelihood of exotic plant infestations on native lands and revive the historic patchwork of wetlands, uplands, and transitional areas.
  • Prevents extended periods of flooding on agricultural lands through a network of constructed water retention areas.
  • Enhances hydroperiods in the Big Cypress Preserve.

Project Features

The project consists of constructed features within three basins on tribal lands that include, in total:

  • 6 irrigation cells that will provide stormwater protection for the adjacent agricultural fields.
  • 4 water resource areas (WRA) that receive stormwater discharges from the irrigation cells and the non-agricultural areas.
  • 24 pump stations with capacities ranging from 7–256 cubic feet per second.
  • A series of culverts in and along the existing and new canals.

Info & Meetings

Current

 


Past

 

Project Status

Construction of water management features in Basins 1, 4, and 2 was completed in 2008, 2013, and 2017 respectively. Because of the high soil porosity and seepage rates noted from the 6 irrigation cells in Basin 1, these features were eliminated from the remaining basins’ design. During Basin 2 construction, the project reached the federal funding cap set by Congress, leaving the Seminole Tribe responsible for providing funding in excess of the 50-50 cost share. At their request, an amendment to the Project Cooperation Agreement was executed on 20 August 2018, removing Basin 3 from the authorized project. All facilities have been transferred to the Seminole Tribe.

Project Manager
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

904-232-3913

Project Manager
Seminole Tribe of Florida

863-902-3200 Ext. 13411

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Project Documents