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C-43 Reservoir Will Improve SWFL Estuary Health
On July 15, SCCF staff and board member Bob Brooks attended the South Florida Water Management District’s Caloosahatchee (C-43) West Basin Reservoir Start-Up Celebration, where water managers and local and state leaders, including Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, applauded the completion of this critical Everglades restoration project that will improve and protect our estuary health here in Southwest Florida for years to come.
The C-43 Reservoir will provide our estuary an extra 55 billion gallons of water storage to help us manage watershed runoff and Lake Okeechobee releases in the wet season and maintain healthy flows in the dry season.
Maintaining healthy flows to our estuary in the dry season is crucial for oysters, seagrass, and other estuarine species, which rely on a certain level of freshwater entering our system.
The celebratory ceremony included a ribbon cutting and remarks from South Florida Water Management District Executive Director Drew Bartlett, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, President of the Florida Senate Ben Albritton, and Secretary of the Florida Department of Environmental Protection Alexis Lambert.
Learn more about Lake Okeechobee releases.
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