Water Conservation Area 3

Water Conservation Area 3 (WCA-3) is the largest existing WCA covering a total of 915 square miles within Western Dade and Broward Counties.

[2] WCA-3A makes up 786 square miles of the whole area and is responsible for delivering water to both Everglades National Park and Miami-Dade County.

A gap left in the mid western side allows for overland flow into Big Cypress National Preserve.It is also the home of multiple recreational and hunting lodges or camps.

Its primary function is listed as recharging and maintaining groundwater levels in coastal areas to the east.

The overwhelming presence of phosphorus in this water has resulted in the degradation of native sawgrass by invasive cattails.