May 30, 2018
West Palm Beach, FL - With the rainy season in full effect and hurricane season fast approaching, the South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD) is hard at work inspecting and maintaining 2,000 miles of levees to protect the region's 8.1 million residents from flooding.
"Our levees are an integral part of our flood protection system," said SFWMD Chief Engineer John Mitnik. "I am proud to assure residents as we head into the hurricane season that our levees, after having undergone rigorous inspections, are prepared to ensure the safety of all South Floridians."
SFWMD operates and maintains the regional water management system known as the Central and Southern Florida Project, which was authorized by Congress more than 60 years ago to protect residents and businesses from floods and droughts. This primary system encompasses more than 2,100 miles of canals, 2,000 miles of levees and berms and more than 600 water control structures and 70 pump stations. Community drainage districts and hundreds of smaller neighborhood systems connect to SFWMD's regional system to effectively manage floodwaters during heavy rain events.
These crucial levees include those built by SFWMD as well as those built by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) and later transferred to SFWMD to operate and maintain.
SFWMD routinely inspects its levees to ensure their structural integrity and ability to provide flood protection. Many of the highest-priority levees in the system have had refurbishment work performed to keep them in optimum condition.