CERP C-43 Caloosahatchee West Basin Storage Reservoir (C)

April 2022

FACT SHEET

COMPREHENSIVE EVERGLADES RESTORATION PLAN
Caloosahatchee River (C-43) West Basin Storage Reservoir

Construction (C)
Congressional Districts: 17, 19, 25

1. DESCRIPTION

Congress authorized the Caloosahatchee River (C-43) West Basin Storage Reservoir Project in the Water Resources Reform and Development Act (WRRDA) of 2014. This project is a component of the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP). The project is designed to capture excess C-43 Basin runoff and regulatory releases from Lake Okeechobee during the wet season and release water from the reservoir during the dry season. The project includes development of one aboveground reservoir, to be located in the C-43 Basin in Hendry County, with a total storage capacity of approximately 170,000 acre-feet (ac-ft). The project will reduce the extreme salinity changes in the Caloosahatchee River Estuary by providing a more consistent flow of water discharging into the estuary. The project will also provide water supply benefits and some flood attenuation.

2. FUNDING

Estimated Total Cost $907,600,000
Estimated Federal Cost $97,700,000
Allocation thru FY21 $13,864,000
Allocation for FY22 $1,500,000
President’s Budget FY23 $0

 

3. SPONSOR

South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD)
3301 Gun Club Road
West Palm Beach, Florida 33406

4. STATUS

The team completed the Final Project Implementation Report and Integrated Environmental Impact Statement in September 2007. The Chief’s Report was signed in March 2010 (the long delay was due to land valuation and crediting policy issues that needed to be resolved for this and other CERP projects). ASA(CW) and OMB reviews were completed, and the Record of Decision was signed in April 2010.

The C-43 West Basin Storage Reservoir project is one of the SFWMD’s State-Expedited Projects. In 2015, the Corps and SFWMD decided that SFWMD would lead the design and construction of the C-43 Project with close coordination with the Corps. The SFWMD has completed 4 contract packages: Contract 1: Preloading/Site Demolition; Contract 3a: Site Clearing; Contract 3b: Access Roads; and Contract 2: S-476 (195 cfs pump station). Contract 3: S-470 (1,500 cfs pump station) construction will be completed in May 2022. The last contract, Contract 4, is for construction of the embankment, spillway, and water control structures; it was awarded in March 2019. Construction completion is scheduled for July 2024. A Post-Authorization Change Report to increase the total authorized project cost was authorized in WRDA 2020 on 27 December 2020.

map of C-43 features.