Degrove Continuing to Provide Survey Support on Site 1 Impoundment Project – Palm Beach County, FL
Degrove Surveyors has continued to provide survey support to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Jacksonville District, on the Site 1 Impoundment / Fran Reich Preserve Project in Palm Beach County, Florida. The project is a component of the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP), and is critical to the long term restoration and environmental sustainability of the Florida Everglades. The 1,660-acre impoundment area will store excess surface water runoff from the Hillsboro Watershed as well as releases from the Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge and Lake Okeechobee. The project will store water that is currently lost through the Hillsboro Canal to the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway. The project will also provide groundwater recharge, reduce seepage from adjacent natural areas, and prevent saltwater intrusion by releasing impounded water back to the Hillsboro Canal when conditions dictate. While the lead role for project design and construction is the USACE, the South Florida Water Management District (a CERP non-federal sponsor) acquired the land and participated in the conceptual design of the project. (source).
Degrove has been contributing to this project on an ongoing, as-needed basis since 2012. Survey needs have varied, with tasks most commonly including topographic / as-built surveys of the D-525N levee / L-40 canal Modifications at various stages of construction. The survey data is being used for quality control / quality assurance checks by the Corps of Engineers. Degrove has also completed hydrographic surveys and muck probes, as well as repeated surveys of the sheet pile retaining wall on the north side of D-525N, which holds back the water from the Hillsboro Canal (L-40). These services have supported USACE efforts to ensure the ongoing stability and safety of the wall.
Site 1 Impoundment – Project Area Map
D-525N levee, looking easterly. Hillsboro Canal and retaining wall seen on the left. Future impoundment reservoir area seen on the right.
D-525N levee, looking southerly at the 1,660-acre impoundment reservoir.
D-525N levee, looking westerly.
Southerly side of sheet pile retaining wall and key ditch. Hillsboro Canal is on the other side of the wall.
