Wakodahatchee Wetlands (photos)

Thankfully, in spite of their department head approved write-up, Wakodahatchee Wetlands is a must see treasure! A boardwalk snakes over the swamp which is loaded with birds and varmints seemingly living in peace and harmony.

It’s impossible to understand the natural beauty of the Wakodahatchee Wetlands when all you get is the Palm Beach County Water Utilities Department prose.

Every day, the Palm Beach County Water Utilities Department’s Southern Region Water Reclaimation Facility pumps approximately two million gallons of highly treated water into the Wakodahatchee Wetlands. By acting as a natural filter for the nutrients that remain, the wetlands work to further clense the water.

Traditional methods for disposal of treated wastewater have included deep injection wells or ocean outfalls. More recent emphasis has been placed on highly treating and reclaiming wastewater. The Palm Beach County Water Utilities Department is a pioneer in the fields of wastewater treatment and reclaimed water distribution for irrigation purposes. The Wakodahatchee Wetlands are yet another example of the Department’s innovative and forward-thinking management philosophies.

Whatever.

It’s swampland. Treated waste water is piped into it. Nature flourishes.

Thankfully, in spite of their department head approved write-up, Wakodahatchee Wetlands is a must see treasure! A boardwalk snakes over the swamp which is loaded with birds and varmints seemingly living in peace and harmony.

With my friends Alyce & John and Ira & Merrill (plus three DSLRs) we set out to see what we could see.

More Boynton Beach Birds

They don’t seem to mind my obsession with photography. They don’t know me well enough yet.

I can’t begin to tell you how happy we are with my mother’s progress, even over this very short period. Yes, she’s got pain and she’s taking medication but she’s managing and the pain is bearable. So far so good. She spent most of the day in the living room as my cousins and a few friends came by to wish her well.

By late afternoon I was ready to get out for a while so I walked the 90 seconds to the pond to visit my friends the birds. They don’t seem to mind my obsession with photography. They don’t know me well enough yet.

As luck would have it two young men came by with a bag of bread. The birds were going to be closer today.

Clicking on the photos brings a larger version.