Water bodies, watersheds and storm water
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Little Wekiva River
The Little Wekiva River flows northward from Lake Lawne just north of State Road 50 in Orange County, through Altamonte Springs in Seminole County. The 15-mile-long Little Wekiva River flows into one of the southern arms of the Wekiva Swamp and into the Wekiva River. The Little Wekiva River Basin receives drainage from an urbanized 42-square-mile area west and north of downtown Orlando.
Challenges
With each heavy rain, stormwater rushes through ditches and canals and into the Little Wekiva River. Depositing sediments and pollutants on its way, the storm water erodes the river’s side banks and channel bottom. The buildup of sediments has contributed to frequent flooding in the surrounding residential areas and has deteriorated water quality in the Little Wekiva and Wekiva rivers.
Many areas of the shoreline along the Little Wekiva River have experienced erosion problems.
The Little Wekiva River has a history of problems, including:
- An increase in rate of flow and velocities from the area’s urbanization.
- Minimal upstream stormwater storage and treatment due to much development occurring before current stormwater regulations.
- Erosion and flooding, which cause public safety concerns.
- Adverse environmental and water quality impacts from the movement and deposit of sediments.
Finding solutions
Rock-filled baskets known as gabion hold in place the shoreline of the Little Wekiva River.
Strong public and private partnerships are critical to solving the problems associated with the Little Wekiva River. The St. Johns River Water Management District is working with the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, the Florida Department of Transportation, the city of Altamonte Springs, Seminole and Orange counties, environmental interest groups and basin residents to take a basinwide approach to find solutions. Efforts are focused on:
- Protecting river beds and banks with structures
- Protecting vegetative banks
- Widening and revegetating channel sections
- Installing grade control structures to stabilize river bed slopes
- Providing sedimentation basins
- Monitoring and evaluating needs based on the dynamics of the river system
Grass, trees and other landscaping help to hold the shoreline in place, reducing chances of erosion.
Public agencies and private groups working together have:
- Secured $12 million from the Florida Legislature to combine with $3.5 million from local governments, the District and federal funds for erosion control projects.
- Developed a basinwide erosion control master plan to reduce erosion and sedimentation transport within the main channel of the river.
- Constructed 15 high-priority erosion control projects in cooperation with Seminole and Orange counties, and the city of Altamonte Springs.
- Initiated vegetation management to enhance recreational attributes of the Little Wekiva River.
- Completed a regional stormwater master plan for the watershed in cooperation with four local governments, which identifies opportunities for retrofitting areas that have no stormwater treatment or that output high levels of pollutants.
Large rocks is another material to help stabilize the Little Wekiva’s shoreline.
A variety of strategies are being developed to maintain the Little Wekiva River as a sustainable resource. In the next steps, the District and its partners are:
- Completing construction of the final erosion control master plan project in Seminole County, which will consist of a series of grade-control structures to prevent undercutting of the river bed.
- Working to fund and implement stormwater retrofit projects to address water quality, flow attenuation and water recharge within the basin.
- Monitoring wildlife habitat, vegetation, macroinvertebrates and fish to assess river health.
- Monitoring sediment movement in the river annually by surveying and measuring the depth of erosion and the accumulation of sediment in locations along the river.
Contact information
For more information about the Little Wekiva River, contact Mary Brabham, basin program manager, at (407) 659-4829 or mbrabham@sjrwmd.com.
Updated on 5-14-2010
