MARTIN COUNTY, Fla. — The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony Friday afternoon for its new C-44 Reservoir and Storm Water Treatment Project.
The new facility spans more than 60,000 square feet.
Engineers with the Corps said water coming from the C-44 basin can now be held and cleaned before entering the Indian River Lagoon.
The STA will remove phosphorus and nitrogen from the water and will help balance the fresh and saltwater in the lagoon and St. Lucie Estuary.
The Indian River Lagoon is home to more than 3,000 species and is considered to be the most biologically diverse system in the entire country.
With the reservoir, engineers can also hold water to release during the dry season.
"This project will take the water from the C-44 canal and will store in this reservoir and then release it when it's necessary, but before it goes back to the C-44, it will run through a stormwater treatment area and what that does is it removes nutrients from the water," said project manager Ingrid Bon.
The new reservoir is the first of four to be completed across South Florida.
The corps is currently working on a reservoir for the C-43 canal.
"The advantage of that is that this water can be stored and released when it's needed, so it's not only about the quality of water. It's also about how much of it is being released and when," said Bon.
Below is the location of the reservoir and stormwater treatment area:
