NEWSZAP.com
April 04, 2007

Trying to renew the Glades: C-43 Project construction continues

By Kristin Hunter

http://www.newszap.com/articles/2007/04/04/fl/labelle/cb01.txt

The C-43 basin storage reservoir project is part of The Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP) which consists of more than 50 projects around south Florida in 16 counties, including treatment marshes, removal of manmade barriers that block water flow and reduction of underground seepage, to try and restore the Everglades back to its historical ways.

It is a combined effort by the Army Corps of Engineers, South Florida Water Management District , Florida Environmental Protection Agency, Florida Game and Fish Commission and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife. CERP is supposed to improve south Florida 's ecosystem by restoring water flows that have changed tremendously over the past century. CERP was authorized by Congress in 2000 and is the largest environmental restoration effort in the world. The C-43 project specifically is supposed to improve the health of Lake Okeechobee and coastal estuaries and provide an additional source of water for the natural ecosystem, people and farms.

According to Project Manager Louanne Vickers, construction is projected to be completed in December 2011, with major construction to begin in February 2008. They will be done monitoring the two test cells in June 2007; with site preparation to begin in July. They have been testing the water quality, canal seepage and embankment stability for the past year using computer modeling. So far, they don't have any physical evidence that the project will withstand a hurricane, but they do have computer analysis that suggests that the project will work just fine. The project has been put under four different storm scenarios. They have been doing what is called a feasability study using a computer program to put the project in different situations such as a 72-hour storm event with hurricane winds of 160 m.p.h. and 52 inches of rain.

So far the project is 30 percent completed. At this time, the C-43 project is projected to cost 335 million dollars for construction costs alone when completed. This amount does not include the millions that will continue to incur due to agricultural property no longer existing. The SFWMD will be bidding out the construction work to the most qualified lowest bidder.

The C-43 project is located at the Berry property off Hwy. 80 and property adjacent to the Berry property on approximately 11,000 acres total.

The project will need approximately several hundred workers when major construction begins. The project will require heavy equipment operators, truck drivers, specialized heavy equipment operators and cement construction workers.

The reservoirs will be used as holding tanks where water can either be transferred out to the Caloosahatchee River or taken in from the Caloosahatchee River depending on whether it is dry or wet. It is intended to help the salinity balance and will be tested by using oysters as an indicator species. The wall of the reservoirs are called flurry walls n an impermeable wall that is 20 ft. below ground level. There will be a 40 ft. high embankment wall for storm purposes.

Project Manager Louanne Vickers says there will absolutely be a benefit, it just may not be as beneficial as they had hoped.