| The lower Kissimmee River, Florida with a basin area of 7804 km2, is an example of river channelization that led to significant ecosystem damage, followed by river restoration activity. This river restoration effort was among the largest worldwide. Prolonged overbank flooding was likely an important driver in establishing and maintaining an ecosystem rich in various forms of aquatic biota, but most notably wetland plants and water birds. An ecosystem restoration project was authorized by Congress with the Water Resources Development Act in 1992. Work, conducted jointly by the South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD) and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, began in the late 1990s and is scheduled for completion in 2013. The goals of the restoration are to reestablish ecological integrity to the Kissimmee River and floodplain.
A key question is whether the restored Kissimmee River channel will be stable under the new flow and sediment conditions. As the Kissimmee River responds to restoration, what types of channel change may occur and what predictions of morphological change can be made if the channel is unstable under the restored conditions?
The objectives of this project are to establish a long-term geomorphic monitoring plan for the KRRP that will meet the requirements stipulated in the IFR/EIS and provide the SFWMD with data to implement comprehensive, adaptive river-management approaches. This report provides an overview of the initial objectives and findings of several types of geomorphic monitoring conducted from 2006-2009 by staff at the University of Florida and the U.S. Geological Survey to address the requirements of the IFR/EIS. |
