SFWMD advances Broward flood resiliency plan as USACE rolls out rapid planning paradigm

SFWMD advances Broward flood resiliency plan as USACE rolls out rapid planning paradigmThe South Florida Water Management District will submit its final Central and Southern Florida (C&SF) flood risk management study to the Army Corps of Engineers in April, navigating a sweeping overhaul of federal project planning rules.

The Broward Basin C&SF study recommends five new expanded pump stations and canal enhancements, projecting $2 billion to $2.7 billion in avoided property damage.

SFWMD is undergoing cost certification with the USACE Walla Walla District, targeting WRDA 2026 authorization.

A new USACE Rapid Planning Paradigm mandates that future studies be completed in three years, for $3 million, reaching 35% engineering design.

SFWMD is also developing a 50-year Water Supply Vulnerability Assessment modeling sea-level rise and drought scenarios out to 2075.

The South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD) is finalizing a major Section 203 flood risk management study for the Broward County basin, marking a critical milestone in the overhaul of the 70-year-old Central and Southern Florida (C&SF) system. Carolina Maran, SFWMD Division Director of Flood Control and Water Supply Planning, announced during a March 26, 2026, Resiliency Coordination Forum that the draft integrated feasibility report and environmental assessment are complete. The district is currently navigating the cost certification process with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Walla Walla District and plans to submit the final report to the USACE by the end of April. The ultimate goal is to secure federal authorization in the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) of 2026. The recommended plan, referred to as Alternative RO, proposes cost-effective projects across every basin in the county. It includes five new expanded pump stations, primary structure improvements, canal enhancements, and system redundancy to restore gravity discharge capacity lost to intensive development and sea-level rise. Maran noted that the regional project alone is projected to deliver between $2 billion and $2.7 billion in avoided property damage. The push for WRDA 2026 authorization coincides with a massive shift in how the USACE will handle future infrastructure studies. Tim Gysan, USACE Resilience Coordinator, detailed a sweeping set of change initiatives recently introduced by the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works. The mandate, known as the Rapid Planning Paradigm, requires all future planning projects to be completed in three years, capped at a $3 million budget, and result in a 35% engineering design ready for construction. "Nobody wants things to take longer and cost more," Gysan said, acknowledging that Florida's large, complex water projects will need to be broken down into smaller, early actionable elements to fit the new paradigm. Ongoing efforts, including the Section 216 Miami River basin study and the Shingle Creek flood risk management study in Osceola County, are adapting to this framework. Gysan emphasized that the newly kicking-off Southern Everglades study will serve as a primary test case for the rapid process, relying heavily on localized data collection and regional partnerships to meet the compressed timelines. To support these long-term infrastructure decisions, SFWMD is concurrently building a 50-year Water Supply Vulnerability Assessment. Distinct from the district's statutory 20-year water supply plans, this assessment models conditions out to 2075. It incorporates sea-level rise projections alongside dynamic rainfall and evapotranspiration data provided by the Florida Flood Hub. While planning for future inundation, the district is simultaneously managing an immediate dry season crisis. SFWMD issued a water shortage warning on February 5 for several counties, including Miami-Dade, Collier, and Lee, due to moderate to extreme drought conditions. Staff are actively monitoring the Biscayne and Lower Tamiami aquifers and have submitted a temporary deviation request to the USACE to alter operations at Lake Istokpoga.