Sometimes it all comes together, and a great plan is set in motion. By way of just such an example, restoration of Florida’s Everglades is finally under way. Dennis Duke, program manager of Everglades Restoration, pointed out that the mammoth undertaking began in July 1999, when the Corp of Army Engineers sent a feasibility study to Congress, which then recommended the federally and state funded $8-billion plan that would require nearly 40 years to implement. “We actually started design work in May of 2000. That work is in progress; a joint effort by the Corp and the Water Management District for about 90 percent of the projects,” Duke said. “Certain projects begun in conjunction with the Comprehensive Restoration Plan include the Kissimmee River Project. This river starts in Orlando and flows south into Lake Okeechobee, through canals south into the Everglades. The project also encompasses building a new Highway 98 bridge,” he added. According to Duke, “We began accompanying bridge work in mid-July of this year, with completion set for January, 2004. The total cost is $4 million. There is already an older bridge in place, which will remain. We will build an additional 350-ft. bridge. There also will be 10 box concrete culverts constructed to create an elevated roadway above a mile and a half flood plain. This was designed so that when we backfill that section of the river, and the water rises, we can maintain flood protection. In other parts the water will go over the banks, out through the woods, and be better cleansed.” This environmental restoration will return the Kissimmee River, diverted from its natural course, into a meandering, longer river, similar to what it was in the past. The project will increase natural hydrology, benefiting humans and wildlife and the environment by creating cleaner, free flowing water, Duke explained. Chuck Wilburn, team leader of the Army Corp of Engineers for the Kissimmee River, oversees current construction. “Zep Construction of Ft. Myers, FL, is the contractor. They’ve brought in a Kawasaki 702 loader, a 252 D vibratory roller, a John Deere 6400 tractor, a Caterpillar 126 grader, a Hyundai 450 LC excavator, a Hyundai 290 LC and a Caterpillar water truck to maintain optimum water content for the soils.” Jovan Zep, owner of Zep Construction, added that this first portion of this particular project, a detour along U.S. 98, also is being aided by a Kawasaki 3-yd. (2.7 m) loader, a Komatsu D6 dozer, and a Terex 40 dump truck. In business for himself since 1973, Zep reminds us he immigrated from Macedonia to the U.S., “the land of opportunity.” Highly aware of construction responsibilities, Zep makes it clear, “Our workers are being very careful not to damage the wetlands in any way. The following stage, actual bridge construction, will begin February of next year.” “This project is a positive experience,” he added. “We have a cooperative, solid relationship with the Corp. That certainly makes it easier to do our job well.” In the overall picture, the Kissimmee River restoration ties in with numerous other state-wide projects in planning and in progress. Gary Goforth, chief of Ecosystem Restoration Projects, explained there is major construction going on at two sites — one located 20 mi. (32 km) west of West Palm Beach, and the other, further west and south, the 17,000-acre (6,879 ha) Storm Water Treatment Area. “Right now there is a lot of earth moving, blasting and removal of lime rocks. Most of the treatment areas are being built on soil that has a lot of peat or organic material; anywhere from six inches to four feet deep. Where we have to build levees, we remove the peat, blast the lime rock, then move the blasted material into levees,” he said. Associate Craig Wilson explained that three of the contracts for this project are being handled by Shaw Environmental Inc., out of Baton Rouge, LA. “They have equipment such as some smaller Caterpillar 365s and 345s. Also with earthmoving, they used a Hitachi 700 excavator, Caterpillar D6, D7 and D8 bulldozers, and a Daewoo 400 excavator.” Storm water treatment areas, ranging in size from 1,000 to 17,000 acres (405 to 6,879 ha), are part of a $700-million capital cost program consisting of six large constructed wetlands being designed and operated to remove phosphorus from waters that enter into the Everglades. Marjory Stoneman Douglas, world-renowned writer and outspoken advocate for the preservation of the Everglades, would indeed be pleased with the cooperation between environmentalists and businesses — all working to restore America’s unique “Sea of Grass.” This story also appears on Construction Equipment Guide.
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