{"id":281928,"date":"2026-05-23T11:26:13","date_gmt":"2026-05-23T11:26:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/281928\/"},"modified":"2026-05-23T11:26:13","modified_gmt":"2026-05-23T11:26:13","slug":"the-1-8-billion-plan-to-keep-broward-county-dry-as-seas-rise","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/281928\/","title":{"rendered":"The $1.8 billion plan to keep Broward County dry as seas rise"},"content":{"rendered":"

Drive around South Florida for a couple minutes and you\u2019re bound to see a canal, maybe dozens of them \u2014 an 1,800-mile web of them in Broward County alone.<\/p>\n

Their water levels are controlled by spillways that prevent flooding, keep salt water out of the region\u2019s drinking water.<\/p>\n

But many of the spillways are failing due to sea-level rise, according to the agency that controls them, and the anticipated 5 to 20 inches of sea-level rise in coming decades will be catastrophic for the region unless something drastic, and expensive, is done.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have 1,800 miles of canals that go through everyone\u2019s neighborhoods, and unless we do something, in less than 10 years we\u2019re going to see massive flooding,\u201d said Broward County Mayor Mark Bogen at an April 14 Broward County Commission meeting.<\/p>\n

A failure to act will result in massive flooding and higher flood insurance costs, even far from the coast, officials say.\u00a0South Florida will have no way to send water to the ocean, and no way to stop salt water from intruding into its water supply.<\/p>\n

The solution, according to the South Florida Water Management District, which operates the canals, is to add pumping stations to the spillways. During heavy rain events the pumps will shoot water from the western upstream parts of the canals to the downstream sections. Five of the most vulnerable spillways are in Broward County.<\/p>\n

SFWMD\u2019s 196-page plan for the pumps, dubbed the Central and Southern Florida Flood Resiliency Study Broward Basins (Section 203)<\/a>, still needs to be approved by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and will take 12 years to execute.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s estimated to cost $1.8 billion and, if it works properly, will make the region flood resilient until the year 2060. This includes the cost of acquiring lands, construction costs, preconstruction engineering and design, construction management and contingencies, according to the plan.<\/p>\n

\"ThisThis maps shows proposed new pump stations and hardened spillways at five locations in Broward County. The proposed pump stations are designed to protect areas west of the spillways from flooding. (Courtesy SFWMD)<\/p>\n

The cost would be shared between state, federal and local governments, with the federal government providing 65% of the cost and non-federal entities providing 35%.<\/p>\n

Broward County commissioners put forward $5 million to partner with the South Florida Water Management District for the study.<\/p>\n

Salt water intrusion<\/p>\n

Flooding, and salt water breaching the top of the spillway, are not the only problem.<\/p>\n

\u201cThose gates, we should remember, are there for the purpose of protecting our well fields and keeping the salt water out,\u201d said Jennifer Jurado, chief resilience officer for Broward County.<\/p>\n

The spillway gates lift up from the bottom, Jurado said, so if the up-current pressure is too low, salt water can flow to the west. \u201cThen you\u2019d be bringing salty water in, in addition to compounding flooding,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Jurado noted that tongues of salt water are already encroaching into some of the freshwater areas of South Florida.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs the gates are hardened, tightened, and elevated \u2026 those will be critical improvements for water supply protection as well,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\"ThisThis map shows the estimated fresh water and salt water interface, shown as a red line, in the lower east coast for the years 1995 through 2000. (Courtesy SFWMD)<\/p>\n

Carolina Maran is SFWMD\u2019s chief of district resiliency.<\/p>\n

She said at a recent South Florida Regional Planning Council meeting that aside from flood control through the year 2060, the plan\u2019s\u00a0other benefits include:<\/p>\n

\u2014 $2.6 billion in avoided property damage.<\/p>\n

\u2014\u00a0$264 million in total output during the construction period that is reflecting more jobs.<\/p>\n

\u2014 A reduction of septic and sewer overflow.<\/p>\n

\u2014 Protection against salt-water intrusion.<\/p>\n

\u2014 An estimated $146 million in potential reduction in premium flood insurance costs.<\/p>\n

How we got here<\/p>\n

The matrix of canals in South Florida is part of a flood control system conceptualized in 1948, and flows water out of the Everglades and western suburbs and toward the sea.<\/p>\n

The problem is that it was built for a different world \u2014 the world before sea-level rise and before Florida\u2019s population spiked from 5 million in the 1960s to 23 million today.<\/p>\n

Jurado said that in past decades, all of the development in the western two-thirds of\u00a0metro Broward County was permitted under the assumption that the canal system would discharge rainfall to the coast.<\/p>\n

In 2009, SFWMD issued a pivotal study<\/a>, which found that 18 of their 28 water-control spillways in South Florida, which operate on gravity, were \u201chighly vulnerable\u201d to failure. Six of those were in Broward County.<\/p>\n

That meant that because of sea-level rise, the water on the downstream east side of the spillways was almost as high \u2014 within 6\u00a0inches \u2014 as the water on the upstream west side of the spillways.<\/p>\n

In order to work, the spillways need the downstream water levels to be lower.<\/p>\n

During storm-surge events, or even some king tides, water levels are now equal, meaning no water can escape the western suburbs, and they flood during rain events.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo much of sea-level rise had occurred since the time of design and construction of the system back in the 1940s that we were already losing discharge capacity,\u201d said Jurado.<\/p>\n

An example of this happened in November\u00a02023 when 12 inches of rain fell on much of Broward and Miami-Dade counties. As areas west of the spillways began to flood, king tides pushed in from the ocean.<\/p>\n

The king tides were just as high or higher than the flood waters to the west.<\/p>\n

\"TheThe G-54 gated spillway at the Sewell Lock between Plantation and Davie is one of five proposed pump sites in an ambitious plan to keep Broward County from flooding as seas rise. (Carline Jean\/South Florida Sun Sentinel)<\/p>\n

\u201cAs the storms were coming, we couldn\u2019t do anything to lower the canals because the tides were too high,\u201d said SFWMD Director Drew Bartlett at a resiliency panel discussion afterward. \u201cYou could open the gate two to three hours a day to try to get some water out to prepare for that storm, then when the storm hit, you had to wait for the canal water to get to a level that was higher than the coast to let it out.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve had for years the colonels (at the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers) speaking to our water advisory board in Broward County on this topic and acknowledge it\u2019s not a matter of when the system\u2019s failing. They said publicly the system is already failing,\u201d said Jurado.<\/p>\n

The goal of the plan, said Maran, is to \u201crestore the original discharge capacity that we lost by \u2026 intense urban development and sea-level rise.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sea-level rise and suburbia<\/p>\n

Sea levels are rising both globally and locally by about a foot per century, according to SFWMD.<\/p>\n

\u201cSea levels have been rising at a more rapid pace in the recent past in comparison to the last 2,000 years, said SFWMD\u2019s 2009 report.<\/p>\n

Their analysis indicated that sea levels in South Florida would rise between 5 and 20 inches by 2060, and continue to rise toward the year 2100.<\/p>\n

The rise in sea levels is due to two main factors, said the report.<\/p>\n

As seas warm they expand in volume, and thus rise.<\/p>\n

Melting glaciers and ice caps also will add to sea levels. The science on how much of the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets will melt varies.<\/p>\n

Climate research indicates that though there may not be more hurricanes as a result of climate change, the storms that do form may be stronger and rain events in Florida may be more severe.<\/p>\n

This is, in part, because hot air can hold more water, and hot seas fuel stronger hurricanes.<\/p>\n

Bottom line: \u201cThe projected rises in ocean levels may limit the District\u2019s ability to protect areas of South Florida from rain-driven flooding,\u201d said the report.<\/p>\n

Where the pumps could be<\/p>\n

The final recommended plan that SFWMD sent to the Corps includes the installation of five new pump stations at existing spillway sites in Broward County.<\/p>\n

These spillways also will be beefed up to increase water holding capacity. Three other spillways will be rebuilt for greater capacity and flow.<\/p>\n

Proposed pump locations include:<\/p>\n

\u2014 The S-13 Pump and Gated Spillway along the South New River Canal (C-11), just east of Florida\u2019s Turnpike and west of the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport.<\/p>\n

\u2014\u00a0The G-54 Gated Spillway at the Sewell Locke between Plantation and Davie (6521 W State Rd 84, Davie, FL 33317). Water would flow into the South Fork of the New River.<\/p>\n

\u2013 The S-33 Gated Spillway on the C-12 \/ Plantation Road Canal, just east of U.S. Highway 441, which discharges into the North Fork of the New River.<\/p>\n

\u2013 The S-36 Gated Spillway in Fort Lauderdale along the C-13 Canal, which feeds the Middle River.<\/p>\n

\u2013 The S-37A Gated Spillway on the C-14 (Cypress Creek) Canal, just east of Dixie Highway and the Florida East Coast Railway near Pompano Beach and Oakland Park.<\/p>\n

\"S-36S-36 Spillway along the Middle River Canal in Oakland Park would get a pump station under the proposed plan from the South Florida Water Management District. (Amy Beth Bennett \/ South Florida Sun Sentinel)
\nWhat about downstream coastal flooding?<\/p>\n

The area the plan will protect are those that lie west of the spillways \u2014 about two-thirds of Broward\u2019s metro expanse.<\/p>\n

But what of downstream areas closer to the coast?<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s been a lot of coordination with the coastal communities,\u201d said Jurado. \u201cOne is the recognition that they\u2019re going to be building seawalls anyway \u2026 the downstream condition, it\u2019s going to be higher water levels and they will be elevating downstream infrastructure at the same time. They have to. We have ordinances that require those things, so that will be happening.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe improvements will also include more telemetry upstream and downstream and better ability to coordinate those discharges such that, for example, if downstream conditions are quite challenged by a combination of, say, surge and king tide, and there\u2019s any flexibility in the system, we can delay those discharges and time everything \u2026 with greater precision.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"ThisThis map shows the upstream and downstream divide in parts of Broward County. Orange areas upstream are at risk of flooding as sea level rise renders gravity-dependent spillways inoperable. (Courtesy SFWMD)<\/p>\n

An example would be timing pumps to discharge as the tide drops, or lowering canal levels before a king tide even shows up.<\/p>\n

Beyond the pumps<\/p>\n

In addition to pump stations, other spillways would be hardened and gates elevated to prevent overtopping.<\/p>\n

The plan recommends improving culverts, and acknowledges that eventually some canals on the upstream west side may need to be deepened via dredging or by raising banks so they can store more water.<\/p>\n

Jurado said that pollution and turbidity in the spillway discharge is a concern, too.<\/p>\n

She said that underground storage and swales would need to be considered to keep dirty water from being flushed too quickly toward downstream areas and estuaries.<\/p>\n

Timeline<\/p>\n

Assuming the Army Corps approves the plan, it will then go to Congress for authorization and partial funding. The state and county will have to gin up money as well.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re not even yet talking about the appropriations,\u201d said Jurado. \u201cWe just need this to be authorized and then we can work on the next step.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jurado said that there would be 12 years for construction once Congress starts to appropriate funding, but the money will come in packages, not all at once.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe idea is 2028 for construction underway and completed by 2040. That\u2019s the goal,\u201d she said. \u201cWe need to have these investments in the ground within 15 years.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jurado said that completion of the project will allow SFWMD to push water out of the bulk of Broward County and toward the ocean \u201ceven under conditions of extreme and high tides and rising sea levels. \u2026 The improvements are designed to be able to deliver the intended level of flood protection for the system but with the additional 2 feet of sea-level rise that we know is building.\u201d<\/p>\n

What happens to Broward County if this project doesn\u2019t come to fruition?<\/p>\n

\u201cYou could reliably anticipate quite extensive massive flooding for two-thirds of the county as your system is unable to release flood waters during storm events,\u201d said Jurado.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Drive around South Florida for a couple minutes and you\u2019re bound to see a canal, maybe dozens of…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":281929,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[506,1563,28,249,251,250,114,115,557,109],"class_list":["post-281928","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-fort-lauderdale","tag-broward-county","tag-environment","tag-florida","tag-fort-lauderdale","tag-fort-lauderdale-headlines","tag-fort-lauderdale-news","tag-latest-headlines","tag-news","tag-palm-beach-county","tag-social"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/281928","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=281928"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/281928\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/281929"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=281928"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=281928"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=281928"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}