New pump station completed for the Caloosahatchee Reservoir Project
HENDRY COUNTY, Fla. – The South Florida Management District and several state officials celebrated Tuesday the completion of a new pump station for the Caloosahatchee River.
“The Caloosahatchee (C-43) Reservoir has been many years in the making, and today is a significant, historic milestone for this massive project,” Florida Senate President Kathleen Passidomo said.
“The momentum we have seen for this project under the leadership of Governor DeSantis and Commissioner Simpson, as well as Governor Scott and Senate President Negron, is truly amazing,” she continued.
Located in Hendry County, the station will move water from the river’s C-43 Canal into an 18-square mile reservoir, according to a press release.
The pump encompasses 170,000 acre-feet of water, or around 55 billion gallons, and will help diminish flows of freshwater from Lake Okeechobee from reaching the downstream Caloosahatchee Estuary.
Formed by four large pumps, the station can move 650,000 gallons of water per minute, making it one of the largest pumps in the state.
The reservoir, in itself, is structured with 19 miles of dam embankments, 15 miles of perimeter canals, and 14 major water control structures. Along with storing freshwater, the reservoir will help sustain fish nurseries in the estuary and enhance water resiliency, according to the release.
“Today is another massive step forward to further improve our waters here in Southwest Florida and support the restoration of America’s Everglades,” SFWMD Governing Board Chairman Chauncey Goss said. “Southwest Florida knows how important our water quality is to our way of life, our estuary, and our local economy.
Based in southwest Florida, the Caloosahatchee River flows from San Carlos Bay near the Gulf of Mexico to Lake Okeechobee. The river is 67 miles long with 25 miles coming as a tidal estuary.
“Once this reservoir comes online, there will be billions of gallons of water storage available that will protect the delicate balance of fresh and salt water in the Caloosahatchee Estuary,” Goss added. “We’re grateful for the Governor’s leadership and support from the Florida Legislature to build Everglades restoration projects like this across South Florida.”
The reservoir is scheduled to begin operations in 2025.
