The Upper Peace River/Saddle Creek Restoration Project
The Peace River in west central Florida flows from the Green Swamp
south to Charlotte Harbor through one of the most fragmented and
extensively modified regions of the State. The river serves as a
critical environmental connection to numerous isolated habitats along
its route and provides habitat for a wide variety of birds, fish, and
wildlife. The Peace River is also an important component of the
hydrologic system in this portion of the State: it drains a basin of
approximately 2,350 square miles, serves as a major source of fresh
water for agriculture, industry, and municipalities along its 105-mile
length, and plays a vital role in the productivity of the estuarine
waters of Charlotte Harbor.
In its inventory of lands disturbed by phosphate mining prior to July
1, 1975, Zellars-Williams, Inc. (1980) recommended restoration of
several sub-basins of the Peace River that had been heavily impacted by
mining. In addition to mining impacts, agriculture, silviculture, and
urbanization have also had major impacts in the region. Numerous
initiatives to restore and enhance the ecological and hydrological
functions of the Peace River watershed have been or are currently being
conducted, including several by the Florida Department of Environmental
Protection, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission,
Southwest Florida Water Management District, the Charlotte Harbor
National Estuary Program, and the U.S. Geologic Survey, among others.
These programs include: development of the Southern Water Use Caution
Area Recovery Strategy, establishment of Minimum Flows and Levels,
establishment of Total Maximum Daily Loads, development of Basin
Management Action Plans, completion of the Peace River Cumulative Impact
Study, development of the Watershed Management Program, and the creation
of the Peace River Basin Resource Management Plan. The focus of the
Upper Peace River/Saddle Creek Restoration Project is on the Saddle
Creek sub-basin at the extreme northern end of the Peace River basin,
one of the river’s nine sub-basins significantly impacted by phosphate
mining and urbanization.
Additional information
Mining and Minerals Regulation Home
2051 E. Paul Dirac Drive (Collins Building) Tallahassee, FL 32310-3760 Phone
(850) 488-8217 Fax (850) 488-1254
2012 State of Florida