SFWMD, USACE, Miami-Dade Co. Break Ground on Final Component of Major Biscayne Bay Restoration Project

MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. - Today, the South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD), U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Miami-Dade County and many federal, state and local officials broke ground on the Biscayne Bay Coastal Wetlands (BBCW) Project - Cutler Wetlands Component. This project will improve the health of Biscayne Bay and will aid in wetland rehydration - building coastal resiliency and improving water quality in this area of Miami-Dade County. The Cutler Wetlands Component is the final component of the five-part Biscayne Bay Coastal Wetlands Project.

The Biscayne Bay Coastal Wetlands Project is part of the larger Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP) that aims to restore the quality, quantity, timing and distribution of water within the Greater Everglades Ecosystem. All components of the Biscayne Bay Coastal Wetlands Project will be complete by 2025. When complete, it will restore freshwater flows to southern Biscayne Bay and Biscayne National Park while improving salinity distribution near the shore. It also restores historical freshwater wetland habitat adjacent to the Bay, which acts like a sponge, soaking up water in the wet season and slowly releasing it in a more natural pattern. Reestablishing productive nearshore habitat also supports nursery habitat for key marine wildlife including shrimp, shellfish and fish.

"Our way of life and our community in Miami are tied to the water. I've grown up enjoying Biscayne Bay, and I'm proud to see continued progress to further revitalize this treasure," said SFWMD Governing Board Member Charlie Martinez. "Thanks to the unprecedented support from Governor Ron DeSantis, strong working relationship with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and partnership with Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava, Commissioner Danielle Cohen Higgins, and many County officials, we are finally breaking ground on this key restoration effort. Our Bay is an environmental treasure and economic engine for Miami and improving the health of the Bay is critical to safeguarding this one-of-a-kind waterbody."

"Restoration of the Everglades and particularly Biscayne Bay is critical to ensuring the continued clean water supply, economic viability, and environmental and public health of Miami-Dade County. For decades as a citizen, as a nonprofit executive, and now as Mayor, I've advocated for this critical project in South Dade," said Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava. "Our environment is our economy, and with today's groundbreaking, we are one step closer to ensuring clean drinking water and a strong local economy for generations to come."

"What's important for everyone to understand is Everglades restoration doesn't just snap in 10 years and we are all done and then it starts to work," said COL James Booth, Commander of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers - Jacksonville District. "Every single increment, every single project that we complete, has a major impact on the environment. We see the benefits as soon as that project is done, sometimes even while that project is being constructed and South Florida Water Management District has a major impact on that. This project is just one example."

Today's groundbreaking celebrates the beginning of construction of the Cutler Flow Way Phase 1 Pump Station S-701. Once complete, the S-701 Pump Station will deliver freshwater from the C-1 Canal to slowly rehydrate coastal wetlands to Biscayne Bay instead of harmfully discharging it immediately into the bay.

Supporting the health of Biscayne Bay remains a priority for SFWMD. In partnership with Miami-Dade County and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, SFWMD also works to reduce litter and debris from reaching the bay through the regional canal system. Additional restoration efforts involving SFWMD are being planned within the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan in the Biscayne Bay and Southeastern Everglades Ecosystem Restoration (BBSEER) Project in partnership with the USACE.

Media Resources
Download Video from the Groundbreaking
Download High Resolution Photos from the Groundbreaking
Download High Resolution B-ROLL of Biscayne Bay
Biscayne Bay Coastal Wetlands Fact Sheet