We were down in Florida last weekend to visit my Great-Aunt Marge, along with most of the Wilks clan. Todd, Marge’s son and our trip organizer, recommended a trip to the Wakodahatchee Wetlands in Delray Beach. We didn’t know quite what to expect but were glad to get out-of-doors for a stroll.

The Wakadahatchee Wetlands are, as it turns out, a constructed wetlands and are part of a water treatment plant. From the Florida Department of Environmental Protection website:

Derived from a Seminole Indian phrase meaning “created waters,” the Wakodahatchee Wetlands was constructed by Palm Beach County Water Utilities Department next to the existing System 3 Water Treatment Plant located one mile southeast of the Southern Region Water Reclamation Facility. This project has significantly enhanced about 56 acres of former percolation ponds into a thriving wetlands habitat. Approximately two million gallons per day of highly treated reclaimed water is used to maintain the wetlands, which attracts an abundance of wildlife in a park-like setting. By acting as a natural filter for nutrients that remain, the wetland work to further cleanse the water.

It was nature tooth and claw out there. We saw mother herons protecting their young from predatory birds flying above (pictured below). We saw very large alligators stalking unsuspecting (or very stoic) common morehens. We even saw very very small baby alligators sunning with their smiling gator mom (also pictured below– the babies are hard to spot, they look like tree roots, but they were so unbelievably cute when they got up to walk around). We also saw tons of turtles.

A boardwalk through and around the wetlands allow for people like us to walk through three of the wetland ponds and enjoy a glimpse into the wild wetland world. Meanwhile the city’s water waste is being recycled, and wildlife has found a sorely needed oasis amongst the resorts, gated communities, and wide roadways that seem to make up most of Southern Florida.