The Palm Beach County Water Utilities Department’s Wakodahatchee Wetlands was awarded the 2009 Environmental Sustainability Honor by the Florida Chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA).
The award states, “This successful ‘created’ wetland preserves our South Florida landscape, contributing to a body of work in sustainable practices that landscape architects strive to accomplish. Wakodahatchee has served its community for over ten years and continues to function as a waste-water treatment system providing wildlife habitat, recreation access and a public education platform.”
Mike Rawls, the Water Department’s landscape architect, will be presented the award in August. “When we built Wakodahatchee, we had no idea how important it would become to local residents. It was originally conceived as a storage lake for reclaimed water with an elevated boardwalk. Since 1996, when it opened, it has turned into an oasis for native plants and animals to thrive. We receive thousands of visitors each year. We’ve been featured by the Audubon Society. Every year it seems to just get better,” Rawls describes the success of Wakodahatchee.
In 1999, Wakodahatchee won the Award of Excellence from ASLA for interaction of constructed wetlands and public use.
The Palm Beach County Water Utilities Department is a department of the Palm Beach County Board of County Commissioners, serving approximately 505,000 residents with drinking water, reclaimed water and wastewater services.
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