Deer Prairie Creek
Owner: Southwest Florida Water Management District (SWFWMD) Location: Sarasota, Florida
KCA provided engineering and environmental analysis, surface water modeling, environmental permitting, design plans and specifications preparation, and project administration for the wetland and hydrological restoration for portions of the DPCP. The area encompasses Project Regions (PRs) 10, 11, and 14 of the DPCP. The property is jointly owned and managed by SWFWMD and Sarasota County.
The project’s objective was restoration of the surface water hydrology and wetland habitats while enhancing the overall ecological function of the preserve and adjacent publicly owned land. The restoration of historic hydropatterns restored diminished wetland function and served to enhance the ecological and hydrological function of the wetland systems. This also contributed to the enhancement of surficial levels and flows in Deer Prairie Creek and Lower Myakka River (LMR). The Myakka River is an Outstanding Florida Water (OFW) and National as well as Florida Wild and Scenic River.
KCA performed detailed analyses of current conditions and inventories of existing drainage features and structures, identifying and prioritizing projects, designing solutions for priority projects, and implementing these projects to restore historic hydrological conditions. This Conceptual Restoration Plan (CRP) represented the initial step in identifying and prioritizing projects for further design development.
The identified restoration projects were necessary to maximize ecological conditions within the study area. These identified projects were evaluated and prioritized for presentation to SWFWMD in this CRP to facilitate further discussion, ranking, and project refinement.