Florida Construction News staff writer
The Caloosahatchee (C-43) Reservoir, a 10,000-acre water storage facility is open, a significant Everglades restoration projects in the state’s history.
Located in Hendry County, the reservoir is designed to improve water quality, protect coastal ecosystems, and significantly expand Florida’s water storage capacity. The project includes a high-capacity pump station capable of moving 650,000 gallons of water per minute and will help reduce harmful freshwater discharges into the Caloosahatchee Estuary during the rainy season.
“Today I was excited to join the Governor for this major milestone in restoring Florida’s Everglades with the start up of the C-43 Reservoir,” said Florida Department of Environmental Protection Secretary Alexis A. Lambert.”Under Governor DeSantis’ leadership we’ve invested more towards restoration and are seeing meaningful results—on time, under budget, and with strong returns for Florida’s taxpayers.”
These investments are paying off:
- Florida has completed or broken ground on more than 75 Everglades restoration projects since 2019.
- Nutrient reductions now exceed 1.8 million pounds of nitrogen and 770,000 pounds of phosphorus annually.
- South Florida’s water storage capacity has tripled to 176 billion gallons.
- The C-43 Reservoir pump station, capable of moving 650,000 gallons per minute, is now fully operational.
The opening ceremony brought together state, local and environmental leaders, who celebrated the project’s completion as part of a broader effort to restore the Everglades. The C-43 Reservoir is one of more than 75 Everglades restoration projects that have either been completed or broken ground since 2019.
“This is a major milestone in restoring Florida’s Everglades with the start-up of the C-43 Reservoir,” said Alexis Lambert, Secretary of the Florida Department of Environmental Protection. “We’ve invested more toward restoration and are seeing meaningful results — on time, under budget, and with strong returns for Florida’s taxpayers.”
Since 2019, Florida has invested nearly $8 billion in Everglades restoration and water quality improvements, with $1.4 billion allocated in the 2025-26 state budget alone. Those investments have contributed to annual nutrient reductions exceeding 1.8 million pounds of nitrogen and 770,000 pounds of phosphorus, while tripling South Florida’s water storage capacity to 176 billion gallons.
The reservoir was built in partnership with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers under a 50/50 cost-share agreement between Florida and the federal government. The state has proposed taking a greater role in completing additional federally authorized projects to speed up timelines and reduce costs, including the Everglades Agricultural Area (EAA) Reservoir, where Florida completed its portion in 2024 ahead of schedule.
State officials are working with with federal partners to explore new agreements or funding structures that would allow Florida to take the lead on more restoration work moving forward.
