What is Wakodahatchee Wetlands, apart from a place to see egrets? According to Palm Beach County Water Utilities, the 50 acres off Jog Road were once wastewater utility property. Each day the Southern Region Water Reclamation Facility releases highly treated reclaimed water into the ponds, and the soil and sand underneath filter it again on its way back to the water table. The boardwalk, the gazebos and the more than 178 bird species recorded there all depend on that process.
That explains what is happening this winter on Hagen Ranch Road. The same reclamation campus is building Green Cay Phase II, a water purification project that comes with a new 63-acre nature park. The county now expects it to open in early 2027. The two boardwalks Boca Delray neighbors already know are open as usual. The third piece is closed to the public during construction, and it will change how the area's busiest birding months work.
The Plant Comes First, the Boardwalk Second
The water figures on the county's Wakodahatchee page don't fully agree with each other. One line says the reclamation facility releases one to two million gallons of treated water into the wetlands each day. Another puts the discharge at roughly 750,000 gallons, up to one million gallons a day. Either way, the scale lines up with the Phase II plan. The Boynton Weekly reported in September that the new advanced purification facility will start at up to 2 million gallons of purified water a day to help refill local groundwater.
The county describes the method as a multi-step process that mimics nature and produces water as clean as drinking water. The water then flows into lakes, where it can recharge the groundwater. Those lakes are what turn a treatment plant into a park. In the county's words, the project "will be the first of its kind in the state of Florida."
The bill is big for a project most visitors will see only as new trails. A May 5, 2026 county commission agenda item put Change Order No. 4 before the board at $4,997,748.80. Even with it, the revised design-build contract stands at $96,298,804.32, below the original contract sum of $99,220,507.16. The same item lists $11,792,400 in South Florida Water Management District Alternative Water Supply grants, $3 million appropriated by the Florida House and $10.5 million in federal ARPA funds. CDM Constructors, Inc. holds the design-build work, and the commission approved the project unanimously on December 19, 2023.
What Is Being Built on Hagen Ranch Road
Phase II has three parts, and each answers to a different county department.
| Component | Location | What the county says it will be | Who runs it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Advanced Water Purification Facility | Southern Region Water Reclamation Facility campus, Hagen Ranch Road | Purifies reclaimed water and sends it to recharge lakes | Water Utilities |
| Todd J. Bonlarron Green Cay Learning Center | Same campus | Exhibits on local water resources, open to school and visitor groups by advance registration | Water Utilities |
| Green Cay Nature Park | Southwest corner of Jog Road and Flavor Pict Road | 63 acres of hiking trails and passive recreation, linked by boardwalk to the current Green Cay Wetlands | Parks & Recreation |
The learning center was first planned under the name RECAP. It now carries the name of Todd J. Bonlarron, whose public service career spans more than 30 years. His most recent post was Chief Deputy County Administrator for Palm Beach County, and earlier he spent 15 years as the county's Legislative Affairs Director. Florida Politics reported that the facility was named in recognition of his service. The county's materials also introduce three cartoon guides for the exhibits, named Dr. Allison "Allie" Gator, Edgar Egret and Oliver the Owl.
The Boynton Weekly's September 8 story ran photos taken at the site on September 3. It describes the park as waterways, walking and hiking trails, passive recreation areas, a pavilion and more parking. The county has said parking at the current Green Cay Wetlands won't change and that a second lot will open on Flavor Pict Road.
Why the Date Moved Into 2027
In October 2025, a county construction update said the project was heading toward completion in late 2026. The project page now says early 2027, and The Boca Raton Tribune gave the same timing in March. In its September report, The Boynton Weekly said the expanded facilities are "now expected to open in early 2027." The story also noted that the county approved nearly $5 million in extra work, including two more production wells for a planned total of four.
There is no announced month or ribbon-cutting yet. For this winter, the county is blunt about access. "All sites associated with the Green Cay Phase II Project are closed to the public during construction," and hours and access will be posted once the sites are ready. The small walking path at 12751/12955 Hagen Ranch Road has been closed since April 15, 2024, and the county lists the closure as running through late 2026. The existing Green Cay Nature Center and Wetlands at 12800 Hagen Ranch Road keeps its regular hours and programs.
Which Boardwalk Fits Which Morning
The timing matters most for parking. Wakodahatchee has no overflow lot. The county says that in its busy months of February, March and April, drivers may have to wait at the gate until a space opens, with security staff directing traffic. The county's suggested alternative is Green Cay, a few minutes away, which has about three times as many parking spaces, an indoor nature center and a similar elevated boardwalk. Once the boardwalk extension and the Flavor Pict lot open, Green Cay becomes the larger destination.
Here is how the two compare today:
- Wakodahatchee Wetlands, 13270 Jog Road, Delray Beach. The posted hours are 6:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. daily. The county notes that hours shift with daylight and Daylight Saving Time, so check the page before an early outing. The boardwalk is three-quarters of a mile, and admission and parking are free.
- Green Cay Nature Center & Wetlands, 12800 Hagen Ranch Road, Boynton Beach. The boardwalk is open sunrise to sunset daily, and restrooms open at 6:45 a.m. The nature center and exhibits are open Wednesday through Saturday, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., with programs Tuesday through Saturday by reservation.
Wildlife photographers should read the rules before packing. Wakodahatchee bans drones, tripods, boom mics and articulated camera arms, along with pets, food, alcohol, jogging or speed walking, bikes, smoking and fishing. Green Cay's posted rules also ban drones and pets.
The county also says Wakodahatchee usually closes once a year for boardwalk maintenance, typically in October or November, with the dates posted ahead of time. The closure notice on the page right now gives March 6 through 10 with no year. Check the county page on the morning you go.
November on the Boardwalks
The guided programs this month are small and inexpensive, and they suit people who would like a naturalist along.
- Saturday, November 7, 9:30 to 11 a.m. Bird Talk & Tour: Birds of Prey at Green Cay starts with an indoor talk featuring a resident raptor, followed by an hour of birding on the boardwalk. The fee is $5.
- Saturday, November 14. Audubon Everglades leads a guided birding walk at Wakodahatchee, with Cathie and Ashley listed as leaders.
- Saturday, November 21. Archery 101 at Green Cay.
- Wednesday, November 25, 6 to 7:30 p.m. Night Stalkers, an after-dark Green Cay program for ages 9 and up, costs $5.
Between those dates, Green Cay offers guided half-mile boardwalk tours Wednesday through Saturday at varying times, plus animal feedings, animal encounters and Saturday ethnobotany tours, none of which need a reservation. The nature center's posted holiday list includes November 11, 27 and 28 and December 24 and 25, so call 561-966-7000 before planning a holiday-week visit.
The Birds Run on Their Own Calendar
Each winter, purple martins fly in from South America to nest at Wakodahatchee and Green Cay in houses set up for them. A few scouts arrive first to look over the houses, and the county says early morning and dusk are the best times to see them near the houses. At Wakodahatchee, volunteers and purple martin experts from Audubon Everglades helped put up gourd-shaped houses modeled on the hollowed gourds native Floridians once used. Water Utilities posts nesting updates on Facebook and Instagram at @PBCWUD.
According to the county, Wakodahatchee's heaviest nesting runs from late winter into early summer. Wood storks, egrets, glossy ibis, great blue herons, purple martins, common gallinules and black-bellied whistling ducks are among the regular nesters. That nesting peak overlaps the February through April stretch when the county warns of parking waits at Wakodahatchee. If the county keeps to its early-2027 target, the boardwalk link from Green Cay Wetlands to the new park on Flavor Pict Road could open during that same nesting season.
If your mornings start on a boardwalk off Jog Road, the De Marzo Luxury Group can tell you which Boca Delray homes put you closest to them. Anne De Marzo and our team are glad to arrange a private tour and community introduction this season, with Green Cay's expansion and the start of nesting season in mind.
