HENDRY COUNTY, Fla. - (Dec. 19, 2023) The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Jacksonville District (USACE) joined federal, state and local officials to celebrate the completion of a new pump station for the Caloosahatchee (C-43) Reservoir Project today. The C-43 Reservoir, once completed, will hold approximately 170,000 acre-feet of water (55 billion gallons) and is part of the state-federal Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP) to restore the environment and make our water resources more resilient.
“The goal of South Florida Ecosystem Restoration is to improve the health of 2.4 million acres of the South Florida Ecosystem including Lake Okeechobee,” said Maj. Cory Bell, the Deputy District Commander for South Florida for USACE Jacksonville District.
The Caloosahatchee (C-43) Reservoir will be an 18 square mile, above-ground water storage reservoir designed to hold excess water during the wet season and then provide beneficial flows of freshwater to the Caloosahatchee Estuary during the dry season. The Caloosahatchee River needs beneficial freshwater inflows for the health of the Estuary, especially during the dry season, to keep salinities in the optimum range for species such as oysters.
“In fiscal year 2023 Jacksonville District obligated $362 Million – the highest annual in South Florida Ecosystem Restoration program history. We are seeing unprecedented levels of active construction contracts. Currently, there are seven Everglades restoration projects under construction, representing $13.2B in federal and non-federal investment,” said Bell.
The Everglades restoration effort covers over 18,000 square miles and involves hundreds of restoration projects that provide critical benefits to improve the health of the ecosystem such as improving water quality, managing flood risks, protecting endangered species habitat and improving resilience to climate change.
“Everglades restoration is an enormous undertaking that cannot be accomplished alone,” Bell said. “Much of our recent progress is due to a firm and ongoing commitment to Everglades restoration at both the state and federal levels, and thanks to our strong partnership with the South Florida Water Management District, which I believe is unique in the nation,”
“What really stands out about these projects is the partnerships that bring them across the finish line,” said Florida Sen. Kathleen Passidomo (R-Naples)
“I have so appreciated the relationship we have had and the communication that we’ve been able to have over the past few years. It’s been an Army Corps that has been really striving for communication across the board and across the state to all our stakeholders and that has is evident in everything that you have been doing,” said Holly Smith, Sanibel Council Woman. “Today is restoring another step in our everglades restoration process and we have many more ahead of us,” she continued.
The Caloosahatchee (C-43) Reservoir is an 18-square-mile water storage project that provides water storage and supports healthy salinity levels in the Caloosahatchee Estuary. It will reduce harmful flows of water to the Caloosahatchee Estuary from Lake Okeechobee and the local watershed during the wet season and provide beneficial freshwater flows to the estuary during the dry season. It will hold approximately 170,000 acre-feet of water, which is around 55 billion gallons.
The new pump station, one of the largest pump stations in the state, is the main inflow structure for the Caloosahatchee Reservoir. It has the capability to move more than 650,000 gallons of water per minute from the Caloosahatchee River into the reservoir using four large pumps.
The reservoir also includes 19 miles of dam embankments, 15 miles of perimeter canals, 14 major water control structures and more. The remaining portions of the reservoir project are expected to be substantially complete by 2025.
Once online, the Caloosahatchee Reservoir will:
Store excess freshwater from the local watershed and Lake Okeechobee before it can reach the downstream estuary.
Help sustain a healthy nursery for fish in the estuary.
Enhance the resiliency of our water resources.
The partnership between SFWMD, local, state and federal partners, city and county governments and USACE has been pivotal in the completion of this project.
(The public can obtain news, updates and information from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Jacksonville District on the district’s website at https://www.saj.usace.army.mil/, on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/JacksonvilleDistrict and on Twitter at www.twitter.com/JaxStrong.