U.S. Army Corps of Engineers issues scoping letter for C-43 Preliminary Project Operating Manual

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (Oct. 11, 2024) – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Jacksonville District  is preparing a National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) assessment for the C-43 West Basin Storage Reservoir (WBSR) Preliminary Project Operating Manual (PPOM). The C-43 WBSR is a component of the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP). The project was authorized in Section 7002(5) of the Water Resources Reform and Development Act of 2014. The purpose of the C-43 WBSR is to improve ecological function and productivity in the Caloosahatchee Estuary by capturing and storing basin runoff and excess freshwater released from Lake Okeechobee. The reservoir would also serve as a source of environmental water supply to the estuary during dry periods.

 A PPOM is utilized by water management personnel for day-to-day use and operational guidance during the operational testing and monitoring phase for the C-43 Reservoir. The PPOM will be developed within the existing framework of the authorizations while incorporating updated science (including the 2020 RECOVER Northern Estuaries Performance Measure: Salinity Envelope), the new Lake Okeechobee regulation schedule (LOSOM), and changed conditions in the basin since the C-43 WBSR project was authorized in 2014.

We invite the participation of federal and state agencies, Native American tribes, local agencies, interested parties and individuals to provide comments and to identify any issues or concerns to be considered during development of the PPOM. Please share this notice with any interested party.

USACE will accept written comments regarding the proposed project via email to CESAJ-NEPA-C43PPOM@usace.army.mil for 30 calendar days from the date of this letter. All comments will be summarized, addressed, and used to inform development of alternatives for the C-43 WBSR PPOM.

Public scoping meetings will be held on October 24, 2024 from 3:00pm to 4:00pm virtually at https://usace1.webex.com/usace1/j.php?MTID=m4a42940e1e8fc2707877ea0d610912fe

and again from 6:00pm to 7:00pm virtually at https://usace1.webex.com/usace1/j.php?MTID=m449ea198c65c4eb012791ac2cb9b8d61

For more information on the project, please go to the following website: https://www.saj.usace.army.mil/About/Congressional-Fact-Sheets-2024/CERP-C-43-Caloosahatchee-West-Basin-Storage-Reservoir-C/

A signed copy of this letter is available at Jacksonville District > About > Divisions-Offices > Planning > Environmental Branch > Environmental Documents (army.mil) Hendry County – last row.

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