SFWMD Approves Reservoir Construction to Boost Caloosahatchee Water Storage

WEST PALM BEACH – With funding support from the Florida Legislature, the South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD) Governing Board on January 15th approved a contract to begin early construction on the site of a future Everglades restoration reservoir near the Caloosahatchee River. The work will provide critical water storage in the Caloosahatchee basin and help to protect the downstream estuary.

“This work allows us to deliver some of the key benefits of the Caloosahatchee River (C-43) West Basin Storage Reservoir before it is fully funded and constructed,” said SFWMD Governing Board Chairman Daniel O’Keefe. “Every step we take to increase water storage means increased benefits to the river and estuary—and to the residents who depend on this vital ecosystem.”

The C-43 reservoir project, a component of the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan, was authorized last year by Congress in the Water Resources and Reform Development Act (WRRDA) of 2014. It will one day hold approximately 170,000 acre-feet of water to be used during dry periods to help maintain a desirable minimum flow of fresh water to the Caloosahatchee Estuary. During the rainy season, the reservoir will store excess stormwater and regulatory releases from Lake Okeechobee, helping to prevent excessive fresh water flows