Loxahatchee Greenways Project


Building a Life-Sustaining Vision for the Future

The Loxahatchee Region

The water that flows from the tap of nearly every home in northern Palm Beach and southern Martin counties has its origin in the watershed of the Loxahatchee River, one of the last remaining free-flowing subtropical rivers in the nation, and one of the most natural riverine ecosystems left in southern Florida. The river's watershed a vast area of approximately 500,000 acres of uplands, wetlands, and marshes is both a vital habitat for endangered birds, fish and mammals, and a critical source of water supply for the area's communities. It is from this watershed that households in the region derive the water they need to cook their food, wash their cars and irrigate their lawns. The watershed also defines the Loxahatchee Region, an area that extends from Lake Okeechobee to the Atlantic Ocean in northern Palm Beach and southern Martin Counties. Its clear waters flow into the Atlantic, creating estuaries that provide breeding grounds for much of the seafood caught offshore.

At the heart of the greenway system is the Loxahatchee River, its wetlands and attached native uplands. Wetlands are areas covered with shallow, often fluctuating levels of water and contain a variety of aquatic plant and animal species. Uplands are predominantly dry landscapes characterized by higher elevations and plant species such as pine trees and oak trees.

Threatening to Tame a "Wild and Scenic River"

Like its Everglades sister to the south, the health of the Loxahatchee is in peril. Designated an Outstanding Florida Water, an Aquatic Preserve, a Manatee Protection Area and, within its upper reaches, a National Wild and Scenic River, this outstanding resource has been fundamentally damaged from human activities designed to tame Florida's wilderness. Since World War II, urban and agricultural development have fragmented native uplands, wetlands and wildlife habitats in the watershed. Construction of canals and drainage systems has lowered groundwater tables and diverted the flow of surface waters, disturbing the system's ability to maintain the river's natural qualities. Population growth, or, more precisely, the urban sprawl that has accommodated it, is the most serious threat to the long-term preservation of this fragile ecosystem. From 1980 to 1990, the population of Palm Beach and Martin counties grew by more than 50 percent, a figure representing almost 324,000 people. By 2020, the population of the two counties is expected to more than double. Much of this growth is directed toward the region surrounding the Loxahatchee River. Given current patterns of growth (urban sprawl), new development will continue to convert the region's remaining farmland and natural areas into residential, commercial and industrial developments, leading to even more fragmentation of natural systems.


The trouble with sprawl

Florida's population has grown so quickly that it has literally redefined the state, both demographically and geographically. Once a land of urban centers and small towns, much of Florida today is characterized by sprawling urban and suburban development. This is particularly true in the southeast portion of the state, where it sometimes seems that suburban developments, strip malls and "big box" retailers spring up over-night. This urban sprawl is consuming land at a faster rate than the state's population is growing. It makes people more dependent on cars, creates traffic congestion and pollution, and destroys farmlands, native ecosystems and open spaces. It represents an expensive dilemma for governments expected to provide roads, sewers, electricity and other services to these outlying areas.

One of the goals of the Loxahatchee Greenways Project is to help communities find alternatives that build a sense of place and protect natural areas and open spaces.