May 2025
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 |
$904,995,000 |
| Estimated Federal Cost |
$424,994,000 |
| Other Federal Agency |
$27,504,000 |
| Allocation thru FY24 |
$45,148,000 |
| Allocation for FY25 |
$0 |
| President’s Budget FY26 |
TBD |
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.
Construction of the C-43 West Basin Storage Reservoir project is being led by the SFWMD, with close coordination by the Corps. The SFWMD has completed the following 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). 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 December 2025, and operational testing and monitoring will occur in 2026 and 2027. A Post-Authorization Change Report to increase the total authorized project cost was authorized in WRDA 2020 on 27 December 2020.
