Special to the Lake Okeechobee News/USACOE
This photo of the Kissimmee River Restoration Project construction shows the S-69 Weir and Bypass Canal.

JACKSONVILLE — The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Jacksonville District has announced the approval of a planned temporary deviation to the 1981 Lake Kissimmee, Hatchineha and Cypress Interim Regulation Schedule. More water will be held temporarily in the lakes in order to control the water flow in the Kissimmee River while construction work is underway on river restoration projects.

Maj. Gen. Diana Holland, commander of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers South Atlantic Division, approved the planned deviation to raise the regulation schedule to facilitate Kissimmee River Restoration Project (KRRP) construction through June 1, 2021.

“Completing construction on the Kissimmee River Restoration Project is a priority for the Jacksonville District,” said Tim Gysan, senior project manager. “Receiving the approval for this planned temporary deviation gives us flexibility as we work to maintain the on-site conditions required for our contractors to continue their work at multiple construction locations simultaneously.”

Remaining construction includes Kissimmee River backfill and the S-69 U-shaped weir completion. Lakes Kissimmee, Hatchineha and Cypress are regulated by a single structure, S-65, located at the outlet of Lake Kissimmee. S-65 is a spillway located at the head of the C-38 Canal (i.e. the Kissimmee River). The intent of the planned temporary deviation is to limit Lake Kissimmee releases to no more than 900 cubic feet per second (cfs) in order to facilitate KRR construction in Reach 2 and Reach 3, which are located south of the Kissimmee River junction with the Istokpoga Canal. The planned temporary deviation provides operational flexibility to the South Florida Water Management District, increasing the likelihood of providing flows within the optimum range for corps construction.