Florida completed a 2,560-acre stormwater treatment landscape with 4,750 acre-feet of storage

USACE
celeb ates
adva ceme t
of
the
I dia
Rive
Lagoo
South
Resto atio
P oject

A
majo
e vi o me tal
esto atio
p oject
i
South
Flo ida
has
eached
a
impo ta t
milesto e
with
the
completio
of
a
2,560-ac e
sto mwate
t eatme t
a ea
desig ed
to
captu e,
clea ,
a d
sto e
u off
befo e
it
eaches
vul e able
coastal
wate ways,
acco di g
to
US
A my
Co ps
of
E gi ee s.The
completio
of
the
I dia
Rive
Lagoo -South
(IRL-South)
C-23/C-24
Sto mwate
T eatme t
A ea
(STA)
is
a
majo
step
i
the
multi-billio -dolla
Comp ehe sive
Eve glades
Resto atio
Pla
(CERP).
The
p oject
is
joi tly
ma aged
by
the
U.S.
A my
Co ps
of
E gi ee s
(USACE)
Jackso ville
Dist ict
a d
the
South
Flo ida
Wate
Ma ageme t
Dist ict
(SFWMD).The
ew
facility
ca
sto e
up
to
4,750
ac e-feet
of
wate
a d
is
desig ed
to
p otect
the
St.
Lucie
Estua y
a d
the
southe
pa t
of
the
I dia
Rive
Lagoo .”The
I dia
Rive
Lagoo
a d
the
St.
Lucie
Estua y
a e
mo e
tha
just
a
simple
body
of
wate ,
they
a e
the
hea t
of
South
Flo ida’s
atu al
he itage,”
said
Col.
B a do
Bowma ,
comma de
of
the
USACE
Jackso ville
Dist ict.Bowma
said
the
wate ways
suppo t
thousa ds
of
pla t
a d
a imal
species
a d
a e
impo ta t
to
the
egio ‘s
eco omy,
ec eatio ,
commu ities,
a d
atu al
e vi o me t.

C eati g
a
atu al
filte
fo
polluted
u off

Fo
decades,
ag icultu al
a d
u ba
u off
ca ied
th ough
Ca al-23
a d
Ca al-24
has
delive ed
excess
ut ie ts
such
as
phospho us
a d
it oge
di ectly
i to
coastal
wate s.High
levels
of
these
ut ie ts
ca
cause
ha mful
algae
blooms,
educe
wate
cla ity,
a d
cha ge
the
sali ity
levels
that
ma i e
life
eeds
to
su vive.The
ew
C-23/C-24
STA
cove s
a
a ea
almost
as
la ge
as
the
ea by
No th
Fo k
St.
Lucie
Rive
Aquatic
P ese ve,
which
p otects
about
3,000
ac es.The
t eatme t
a ea
uses
wetla d
pla ts
as
a
atu al
filte .
The
pla ts
help
t ap
sedime t
a d
abso b
excess
ut ie ts
befo e
the
clea ed
wate
moves
dow st eam.The
system
also
se ds
some
excess
wate
i to
the
floodplai
alo g
the
o th
fo k
of
the
St.
Lucie
Rive .
This
helps
educe
sudde
i c eases
i
f eshwate
e te i g
the
estua y
a d
keeps
sali ity
levels
mo e
stable.Stable
sali ity
is
impo ta t
fo
seag ass
beds
a d
a eas
whe e
you g
fish
g ow
a d
develop.

A
la ge
etwo k
of
wate
i f ast uctu e

The
2,560-ac e
t eatme t
a ea
i cludes
seve al
majo
st uctu es
desig ed
to
co t ol
the
moveme t
of
wate ,
i cludi g:

Wetla ds
ow
e te i g
the
g owth
stage

With
the
majo
ea thwo k
fi ished,
the
C-23/C-24
STA
is
movi g
i to
its
ope atio al
phase.O e
of
the
most
impo ta t
ext
steps
is
the
vegetatio
“g ow-i ”
pe iod.
Du i g
this
stage,
wetla d
pla ts
will
become
established
a d
develop
the
de se
oot
systems
eeded
to
emove
ut ie ts
f om
the
wate
effectively.Co st uctio
is
also
co ti ui g
o
the
i te im
pump
statio
afte
eceivi g
autho izatio
a d
fu di g.
The
statio
will
keep
wate
movi g
th ough
the
t eatme t
cells
a d
help
mai tai
the
wetla d
pla ts
u til
the
futu e
C-23/C-24
No th
Rese voi
is
completed.”All
of
us
wa t
a
healthy
e vi o me t
with
abu da t
fish
a d
wildlife.
The
C-23/C-24
featu es
will
help
delive
exactly
that,”
said
SFWMD
Executive
Di ecto
D ew
Ba tlett.Ba tlett
said
the
dist ict
will
co ti ue
wo ki g
with
the
U.S.
A my
Co ps
of
E gi ee s
to
imp ove
wate
quality
a d
speed
up
Eve glades
esto atio
p ojects.

A
la ge
esto atio
effo t

The
C-23/C-24
STA
is
o ly
o e
pa t
of
the
la ge
I dia
Rive
Lagoo -South
Resto atio
P oject.O ce
the
e ti e
p oject
is
completed,
it
is
expected
to
p ovide
mo e
tha
130,000
ac e-feet
of
wate
sto age,
about
9,000
ac es
of
a tificial
sto mwate
t eatme t
wetla ds,
a d
ea ly
90,000
ac es
of
esto ed
atu al
habitat.”This
is
a
ve y
big
milesto e,
a d
I
comme d
the
e ti e
USACE
a d
SFWMD
teams,”
said
Michael
D og,
the
USACE
Jackso ville
Dist ict
p oject
ma age
fo
the
I dia
Rive
P oject.E vi o me tal
age cies
expect
the
combi ed
system
of
ese voi s
a d
t eatme t
wetla ds
to
sig ifica tly
educe
ut ie t
pollutio
e te i g
South
Flo ida’s
coastal
wate s.The
esto atio
effo t
is
also
expected
to
help
ebuild
oyste
beds,
esto e
u de wate
vegetatio ,
a d
imp ove
the
lo g-te m
health
of
the
St.
Lucie
Estua y
a d
I dia
Rive
Lagoo .The
completed
t eatme t
a ea
the efo e
ep ese ts
mo e
tha
a
ew
piece
of
wate
i f ast uctu e.
It
is
desig ed
to
use
atu al
wetla d
p ocesses
to
clea
polluted
u off,
co t ol
f eshwate
flows,
a d
p otect
some
of
South
Flo ida’s
most
impo ta t
coastal
ecosystems.

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