http://www.nbc-2.com/Global/story.asp?S=10988892

 

HENDRY COUNTY: The fight to control fresh water releases into our estuaries hit a snag. Officials say that means the C-43 construction project that should be nearly complete, hasn't even started.

 

Experts in Hendry say it's another sign of the cruddy economy. 

Construction plans on a water reservoir are set to go, test cells have been built, but there is no money to move further.

 

The reservoir is meant to monitor the amount of fresh water released into the Caloosahatchee.

 

"The Caloosahatchee estuary is like a mixing bowl,  it's where fresh water comes in and saltwater comes in and the two mix,"  said C-43 Project Manager Janet Starnes.

 

Too much saltwater kills wildlife and too much freshwater creates algae. A set of test cells were built to find a perfect combination - which they did. But since then, they've sat unused.

 

Building the reservoir will cost another $533-million and for the most part, it is money that South Florida Water Management does not have. The breakdown of required costs is as follows:

 

- $73-million needed for non-construction costs, including  planning, engineering and design

 

- $95-million for  land

 

-$364 million for construction of the reservoir

 

Officials  we spoke to say most of that money will come from your taxes. "In  order to have a regional fix, you have to have a means of paying for it. 

And in that case, the best way of paying for it regionally is your taxdollars," said Starnes.

 

Tommy Strowd, Assistant Executive  Director with South Florida Water

Management, says the project is  definitely worth the cost.

 

"From a water supply standpoint and a water  quality standpoint, we think there will be significant benefits - well  worth the taxpayers' investment," he said.

 

Another benefit of the  project is that it would help to keep our beaches pristine.

 

If and  when construction begins, the reservoir will take three years to build. So  why not start building it now with the funds that are already available?

 

Starnes answered that question by saying, "We need to make sure that we do it right and that all the funds are available at the time  we start the project. The economy will rebound; it's just a matter of  time." Strowd said one upside to the construction delays is that the  project will actually cost taxpayers less money than it would have a  couple years ago, when constructionshould have been done. He said that's  because everything, from labor to gas, is more affordable right now.