A major water management project now under construction in St. Lucie County is designed to reduce harmful discharges into the St. Lucie Estuary by diverting polluted runoff for treatment before it reaches local waterways.
The Indian River Lagoon South C-23 Estuary Discharge Diversion Canal is being built by the South Florida Water Management District and is expected to be completed this year, according to Jason Schultz, the district’s public information coordinator.
“The Indian River Lagoon South C-23 Estuary Discharge Diversion Canal is being constructed by the South Florida Water Management District and will be completed this year,” Schultz said. “This interconnect canal project will divert harmful discharges from the C-23 Canal in St. Lucie County and send that water south to the C-44 Reservoir and Stormwater Treatment Area (STA) in Martin County, where it can be cleaned before being sent to the St. Lucie River.”
Schultz said the project is intended to improve both water quality and the timing of freshwater flows into the estuary and the Indian River Lagoon.
“This diversion canal, used in conjunction with the C-44 Reservoir and STA, will help improve water quality in the St. Lucie Estuary and Indian River Lagoon and helps bring flows to the Estuary closer to their natural pattern,” he said.
The final estimated construction cost of the diversion canal project is $52 million, according to the district.
The canal is one part of a broader network of projects under the Indian River Lagoon South initiative, which includes large-scale reservoirs and treatment areas designed to manage stormwater runoff and reduce pollution entering sensitive waterways.
One of those efforts is the C-23/C-24 South Reservoir, which Schultz described as “a component of the Indian River Lagoon South Project, encompassing more than 3,500 acres.” He said the reservoir will be built as an earthen embankment with a total length of about 11 miles and that Phase I construction is currently underway.
Another related project is the Indian River Lagoon South C-25 Reservoir and Stormwater Treatment Area.
“This project will capture, store and treat local stormwater runoff from the C-25 Canal,” Schultz said. “Once constructed, the project reduces the rate of harmful flows to downstream estuaries and improves water quality in the estuary and the lagoon.”
According to Schultz, the C-25 project includes an 803-acre reservoir with 5,176 acre-feet of storage, a 532-acre stormwater treatment area and a pump station capable of moving 250 cubic feet per second. He said the first phase of that project is also under construction.
Together, the diversion canal and companion projects are intended to work in coordination to reduce polluted runoff, improve water quality and restore more natural flow patterns to the St. Lucie Estuary and the Indian River Lagoon.