Site 1 Impoundment - the Fran Reich Preserve
This $126 million project will capture and store storm water that would otherwise be lost for use during dry times, preserving clean water in, and reducing demands on the Refuge along with related environmental benefits. Located on the southeastern border of the Refuge, the project involves construction of an approximately 1,600-acre, 8-foot deep, reservoir and a pump station
Once complete, the project will bring several benefits to the Everglades and local communities:
- Maintaining water levels in the Refuge to improve habitat for native plants and animals. The ecosystem is home to the American alligator, the critically endangered Everglades snail kite and as many as 257 species of birds that may use the Refuge's diverse wetland habitats.
- Capturing and storing excess surface water runoff from the Hillsboro Watershed.
- Reducing dry season demands on water from the Refuge and Lake Okeechobee.
- Improving quantity, quality and timing of freshwater flows to the estuarine portion of the Hillsboro Canal.
Project Documents:
Project Overview Phase 1 Details Newsletter Aerial Photos
Project Videos:
ImpoundmentProject (Fran Reich Preserve) Site 1: In their own words
Loxahatchee Impoundment Landscape Assessment - LILA
LILA is a working, 80-acre model of the Everglades ecosystem. This "living laboratory" gives experts an opportunity to research and apply restoration techniques on a small, controlled scale before taking them into the 1.7 million-acre Everglades ecosystem. Scientists here can study the effects of water depth and flow rate on wading birds, tree islands, marsh plant communities, marsh fishes and invertebrates, and peat soils.
This unique facility was built in 2003 as a partnership between the South Florida Water Management District, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
The public use areas of the Refuge just south of Lee Road contain several rectangular water impoundments rimmed by canals and levees. These numbered water impoundments or compartments, laid out in a grid pattern, allow for hiking and wildlife viewing. The LILA impoundments are located in Compartments 3 and 4, just southwest of the Marsh Trail. The Marsh Trail itself is counted as Compartment 7.
Quick Fact Sheet PowerPoint Presentation
LILA is featured in this video from Florida International University. The video is 11 1/2 minutes long. A little over 3 minutes in, the role LILA plays in FIU research on water quality and flow for Everglades restoration is explained…LILA Video