Corps of Engineers completes first construction contract for Indian River Lagoon-South project

By Jenn MillerAugust 5, 2014

Corps completes first construction contract for Indian River Lagoon-South project
(Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (Aug. 5, 2014) -- The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Jacksonville District has completed the first construction contract for the Indian River Lagoon-South, C-44 Reservoir and Stormwater Treatment Area project, in Martin County, Fla.

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 Stormwater Treatment Areas -- and 3,600 acres of new wetlands.

"Completion of this construction contract is an important step forward for the C-44 Reservoir and Stormwater Treatment Area project," said Col. Alan Dodd, Jacksonville District commander. "We now have the foundation in place to begin constructing the larger components of the project, which when completed, will be extremely beneficial to the St. Lucie Estuary, Indian River Lagoon and our Everglades restoration program as a whole."

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 of water, and 6,300-acres of STAs. Construction on the project's first contract began in 2011, and 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 reservoir, in summer 2015.

All project components were originally planned to be built by the Corps of Engineers, but in an effort to construct the project as expeditiously as possible, the local sponsor the South Florida Water Management District is scheduled to award the construction contract for the STAs and a portion of the project discharge canal in October 2014, and award the construction contract for the reservoir's pump station, in April 2015.

Construction of the C-44 Reservoir and STA is scheduled to be completed in 2020. Upon construction completion, up to two years of operational testing will occur.

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 project, which is part of the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan.

Additional information on the C-44 Reservoir and STA is available at: http://bit.ly/IRLS_C-44.

Project construction photos available at: http://bit.ly/IRL-S_C44Photos.

Related Documents:

Indian River Lagoon-South fact sheet (PDF) [PDF]

Related Links:

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PHOTOS: View more photos of the project