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Indian River Lagoon - South C-44 Reservoir & STA

Construction is underway on mutliple components of the C-44 Reservoir and Stormwater Treatment Area (STA) project in Martin County, Fla.

The C-44 project includes the construction of a 3,400-acre reservoir, a pump station with a capacity to pump 1,100 cubic feet per second (cfs) of water and 6,300-acres of STAs.

All project components were originally planned to be built by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, but in an effort to construct the project as expeditiously as possible, the local sponsor the South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD) has awarded construction contracts for the constructing the pump station, stormwater treatment area (STA) and system discharge canal.

Once all contracts are completed, the project will capture local run-off from the C-44 basin, reducing average annual total nutrient loads and improving salinity in the St. Lucie Estuary and the southern portion of the Indian River Lagoon by providing, in total, 60,500 acre-feet of new water storage (50,600 acre-feet in the reservoir and 9,900 acre-feet in the STAs) and 3,600 acres of new wetlands.

The Indian River Lagoon is considered the most biologically diverse estuarine system in the continental United States and is home to more than 3,000 species of plants and animals.  The C-44 Reservoir and Stormwater Treatment Area is the first component of the multi-billion dollar Indian River Lagoon-South (IRL-S) project, part of the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP).

Additional information on the C-44 Reservoir and STA is available on the project fact sheet.

Project Status

Corps breaks ground on reservoir for Everglades project - Nov. 20, 2015

Federal, state and local officials celebrated the start of a major construction contract for the reservoir component of the C-44 Reservoir and Stormwater Treatment Area project on Nov. 20, a critical restoration project to restore America’s Everglades.

 

Corps awards Indian River Lagoon-South construction contract - Sept. 11, 2015

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Jacksonville District has awarded a construction contract for the reservoir component of the Indian River Lagoon-South’s C-44 Reservoir and Stormwater Treatment Area (STA) project in Martin County, Fla. The $197 million construction contract was awarded Sept. 11 to Barnard Construction Co. Inc. from Bozeman, Mont. The contract involves the construction of a 3,400-acre reservoir that will store up to 15 feet of water and will provide 50,600 acre-feet (16.5 billion gallons) of storage capacity. Construction is anticipated to begin this winter.

Corps completes first construction contract for Indian River Lagoon-South project - July 31, 2014

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers completed construction of the project's firct construction contract in July 2014, which consisted of constructing the western intake canal, eastern C-133/133A canal, all access roads and staging areas, and the construction of the Citrus Boulevard bridge and culvert. The Corps is scheduled to award the construction contract for the 3,4000-acre reservoir in September 2015.  The reservoir is the largest component of the project and will provide 50,600 acre-feet of storage.

   

The reservoir contract will complement the construction already initiated by the South Florida Water Management District on the reservoir intake canal, pump station and associated Stormwater Treatment Area.  Collectively, these features will work together to provide additional storage and treatment, while attenuating damaging flows discharged to the St. Lucie estuary.

These shared efforts on construction contracts will reduce the time needed to fully-construct the project by at least two years. Construction of the C-44 Reservoir and STA is scheduled to be completed in 2019.  Upon construction completion, up to two years of operational testing will occur.  Once all contracts are completed, the will provide, in total, 60,500 acre-feet of new water storage (50,600 acre-feet in the reservoir and 9,900 acre-feet in the STAs) and 3,600 acres of new wetlands.    

 

Project Documents