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INDIANTOWN – The Florida Department of Environmental
Protection (DEP), the South Florida Water Management
District (SFWMD) and Martin County today celebrated the
ground breaking of construction on the C-44 Reservoir/Stormwater
Treatment Area near Indiantown in Martin County. Part of
the Acceler8 initiative launched by Governor Jeb Bush in
October 2004, the C-44 project will capture, store and
treat stormwater runoff from the 116,500-acre C-44 basin
in Martin County, decreasing flows into the St. Lucie
canal and improving water quality in the St. Lucie
Estuary and Indian River Lagoon.
“First-rate science, engineering and water resource
management is making South Florida’s environmental
restoration a reality,” said DEP Secretary Colleen M.
Castille. “Today, as we celebrate another remarkable
milestone, we are ensuring that the entire ecosystem of
America’s Everglades will continue on this path of
recovery and provide a healthy quality of life and a
vibrant economy for Florida’s future.”
A component of the larger Indian River Lagoon-South
restoration project, this project consists of a
3,400-acre, 15-foot-deep above-ground reservoir that
will hold 50,600 acre-feet of water, providing
significant water storage for the C-44 basin. The
project also includes a 6,300-acre Stormwater Treatment
Area (STA), a man-made wetland, to capture and treat
stormwater runoff before it enters the St. Lucie canal
and, ultimately, the St. Lucie Estuary and Indian River
Lagoon. New conveyance canals, embankments and a pump
station are part of the project to aid in moving water
through the reservoir and STA.
“We are thrilled to begin construction on this very
important project in Martin County,” said Len Lindahl,
governing board member of the SFWMD. “It is a vital
piece of the Everglades restoration project – that is
important to all residents of the State of Florida – and
crucial to the health and well-being of the St. Lucie
Estuary – which is of the utmost importance to residents
of Martin County.”
Preliminary design began in March 2006 and
construction of test cells was completed in June. The
test cells provided engineers with critical water
quality and seepage information to design and build the
entire C-44 reservoir and STA on former agricultural
land.
Announced by Governor Bush in October 2004, Acceler8
is stepping up the pace of funding, design and
construction to complete eight Everglades restoration
projects over seven years. The projects will restore
100,000 acres of wetlands, expand water treatment areas
by close to 29,000 acres and provide 428,000 acre-feet
of additional water storage for Everglades restoration a
decade ahead of schedule. Six of the eight Acceler8
projects are already underway. Since February 2006, the
State has expanded three Everglades Agricultural Area
treatment wetlands and launched construction on the C-43
Caloosahatchee West Storage Reservoir, the Acme Basin B
Discharge Project, the Everglades Agricultural Area
Reservoir and the second phase of the Picayune Strand
Restoration Project.
Under the leadership of Governor Bush, Florida has
forged ahead to implement the $10.5 billion,
state-federal Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan.
Since 2000, Florida has invested more than $2 billion of
the committed $3.3 billion through the end of the decade
to clean up and restore the famed River of Grass.
For more information on Acceler8, please visit
www.evergladesnow.org.
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