C-51 Canal Bank Stabilization Study

RS&H, under a general contract with the South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD), conducted a canal bank stabilization study on an approximate 0.68-mile segment of the C-51 Canal located within the SFWMD Central Region and under the jurisdiction of the West Palm Beach Field Station.

The canal segment runs in an east-west orientation and is bounded by the bridge at Kirk Road to the west, Southern Boulevard to the north, Congress Avenue to the east, and Lake Lytal Park and SFWMD headquarters to the south. The eastern limits of the study coincide with the western limits of the existing fabric-formed concrete riprap revetment that was constructed as part of the SR-80/Southern Boulevard reconstruction project by the Florida Department of Transportation.

The primary components of the study included:

• Field reconnaissance to identify and inventory bank erosion and washout locations.
• Geotechnical testing to complement existing information and development of recommendations for the subsequent Bank Slope Stability Analysis.
• Soil/sediments sampling was also conducted and tested for pesticides, total metals, and total recoverable petroleum hydrocarbons.
• Surveying to provide a reliable assessment of the conveyance capacity condition of the channel, banks, overbank/berm, and right-of-way. Cross-sections were surveyed at approximately 500-foot intervals along the project limits.
• A Bank Slope Stability Analysis to evaluate existing canal cross-sections. The analysis revealed that none of the existing slopes were within the study limits to meet the minimum required factors of safety recommended by the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers.
• A canal typical section alternatives and conceptual plans, typical sections, cross-sections, and cost estimates for the recommended alternative.

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