Old Florida Plantation

Polk County, Florida

Project Description/Services

Madrid Engineering Group Inc. completed the land reclamation and geotechnical investigation for Old Florida Plantation on a 3,535 acre parcel of land. The MEG reclamation project manager was responsible for the design and project management of the reclamation of mined out and phosphatic clay settling area parcels adjacent to the east and south sides of Lake Hancock. The project reclaimed over 3,300 acres to create freshwater marshes, hardwood swamps, open water, and upland habitats at a previously phosphate-mined site. The total cost of the project reclamation was over $11,500,000.

The project, consisted of 4,797 residential units, 362,287 square feet of office and commercial development, and other amenities such as golf and horseback trails. MEG provided professional services including soils identification, groundwater flow direction, environmental assessment, and water quality studies. In addition, Madrid has assisted the reclamation engineers by providing geotechnical engineering for a surcharge plan that will minimize foundation costs for housing. Over 100 soil borings were done across the site. Samples included split spoon, auger, and Shelby tube types. Laboratory testing was extensive in order to characterize the highly variable soils, which consisted of sand, clay, clayey sand, sandy clay, and organics. Slug tests were used in the field to characterize the surficial aquifer, along with water level readings at various wells installed by Madrid, and readings done on a seasonal basis to determine natural fluctuations. Based on this information, MEG submitted preliminary foundation recommendations for each of 8 soils conditions that were indexed across the site, based on the borings and other information previously gathered from reclamation records, enabling planners to make best use the land.