The St. Cloud Field Station is the South Florida Water Management District's newest field station. It opened for operations in May 2009. The field station has 34 full-time employees and is responsible for the operation, maintenance, capital improvements and planning for three navigation boat locks on the Kissimmee River and approximately 46 miles of canals, 14 water control structures and other components of the flood protection system in Orange, Osceola and Polk counties.;
Okeechobee Field Station;
The Okeechobee Field Station is participating in the construction of Lakeside Ranch Stormwater Treatment Area, a created wetland that will use "green" technology to remove phosphorus from water flowing to the Everglades. The field station has 76 full-time employees and is responsible for the operation, maintenance, planning and capital improvements for approximately 256 miles of canals, 112 water control structures and other components of the flood protection system within Martin, St. Lucie, Okeechobee, Glades, Highlands and portions of Polk and Osceola counties. The field station also maintains eight navigation locks on the Kissimmee River and Lake Okeechobee.;
Clewiston Field Station;
The Clewiston Field Station is participating in a Stormwater Treatment Area expansion project, Compartment C Buildout, which will increase the constructed wetland's ability to remove phosphorus from water flowing to the Everglades. The field station has 54 full-time employees and is responsible for the operation, maintenance, capital improvements and planning for approximately 303 miles of canals, 140 water control structures and other components of the flood protection system in Hendry and Lee counties and parts of Broward, Charlotte, Glades and Palm Beach counties.;
West Palm Beach Field Station;
The West Palm Beach Field Station is participating in a Stormwater Treatment Area expansion project, Compartment B Buildout, which will increase the constructed wetland's ability to remove phosphorus from water flowing to the Everglades. The field station has 101 full-time employees and is responsible for the operation, maintenance, capital improvements and planning for 110 miles of canals, 200 water control structures and other components of the flood protection system in Palm Beach County.;
Big Cypress Basin Field Station;
The Big Cypress Basin Field Station will be assuming the operations and maintenance of the three pump stations that are currently being constructed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers as part of the Picayune Strand Restoration Project. The field station has 13 full-time employees and is also responsible for the operations and maintenance for approximately 162 miles of canals and 46 water control structures and other components of the primary flood protection system in Collier County.;
Fort Lauderdale Field Station;
The Fort Lauderdale Field Station is working on Hillsboro (G-08) Canal Bank improvements. The field station has 55 full-time employees and is responsible for the operation and maintenance of 211 miles of canals, 43 water control structures and other components of the flood protection system in Broward County and part of south Palm Beach County. There are 24 local drainage districts within Broward County with pumping facilities and/or water control structures that discharge into the South Florida Water Management District's flood protection system. ;
Miami Field Station;
The Miami Field Station is responsible for the operation, maintenance, planning and capital improvements for approximately 230 miles of canals, 32 water control structures and other components of the flood protection system in Miami-Dade County and a portion of Broward County. There are 53 full-time employees on staff and the field station is in contact with 32 municipalities in Miami-Dade County.;
Homestead Field Station;
The Homestead Field Station is participating in the construction of the C-111 Spreader Canal Western Project, which will provide ecosystem restoration of freshwater wetlands, tidal wetlands and near-shore habitat on Biscayne Bay. The field station has 42 full-time employees and is responsible for the operation, maintenance, capital improvements and planning for 129 miles of canals, 28 water control structures and other components of the flood protection system in south Miami-Dade County.;
Operations and Maintenance staff at the South Florida Water Management District serve our region from eight Field Stations as well as from our Headquarters in West Palm Beach. Field Station staff are who you are most likely to see in your community, working every day to make sure the regional water management system operates smoothly and efficiently to protect regional water supplies and provide flood control.
Throughout the year, Operations and Maintenance staff oversee nearly 2,000 miles of canals and more than 2,800 miles of levees/berms, 69 pump stations, 645 water control structures and more than 700 culverts. They operate and maintain all the equipment, and they have the specialized expertise needed to keep this vast water management system ready for whatever nature sends our way, whether that's a typical summer rainstorm, a hurricane or drought. Moving water to meet varying conditions and needs is essential to sustaining South Florida's people, economy and our environment.
Levee Inspections and Maintenance
The District has actively maintained South Florida's extensive network of earthen levees since its construction by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in the 1950s and 1960s. The agency continues to make significant investments in improvements and routine maintenance of the levees, including the 105-mile East Coast Protective Levee that borders some of the region's most populated areas.
As part of a nationwide program, the Corps is inspecting levee systems across the country, including in the State of Florida. This program is based on visual assessments of maintenance-related issues. It is in addition to annual Corps inspections, which consistently indicate South Florida's levees are performing as intended.
In a separate effort, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is updating existing National Flood Insurance Program maps. Current maps recognize the East Coast Protective Levee as an accredited levee for a 1-in-100-year flood.
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