(The Center Square) – Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and other state officials celebrated the opening on Tuesday of the Caloosahatchee Reservoir, a vital cog in the restoration of the Everglades.

C-43 in Hendry County is intended to act as a catch basin for 170,000 acre-feet of local basin stormwater runoff and releases from Lake Okeechobee. This is intended to reduce the volume of discharges into the Caloosahatchee Estuary in southwestern Florida during the spring and summer wet season.

The reservoir will also provide a source of freshwater flow to the estuary during the dry season to help balance salinity levels and provide flows to plants and wildlife when needed.

A pump station, capable of moving 650,000 gallons per minute, has also opened to facilitate level changes in the reservoir, which will have a maximum depth of 25 feet. 

“During my time as governor, we have set new records for investing in conservation, water quality improvements, and Everglades restoration,” DeSantis said at an event in Fort Denaud. “This project will have an impact far beyond the Caloosahatchee. The C-43 Reservoir is a landmark achievement in our broader mission to restore the Everglades, expand Florida’s water storage capacity, and leave this state better to God than we found it.”

DeSantis issued an executive order on water quality and Everglades restoration on his second day in office, which committed $2.5 billion over four years for water quality and Everglades projects. During the rest of his first term, $3.3 billion in taxpayer funds were spent on Everglades and water quality-related projects, exceeding the previous dozen years combined. 

In this year’s budget, the state will spend $1.4 billion included in this year’s  budget, adding up to nearly $8 billion in spending and 75 projects since 2019.

“Governor DeSantis, you have been the tip of the spear when it comes to Everglades restoration,” said Senate President Ben Albritton, R-Wauchula. “This is a big deal because with every ribbon-cutting such as this one, we’re one step closer to provide the protection for our coastal communities and our fisheries remain healthy and bountiful for those living in and around the water in these communities and it is meaningful for the future of Florida.”

According to Florida officials, nutrient reductions now now exceed 1.8 million pounds of nitrogen and 770,000 pounds of phosphorus annually, with south Florida’s water storage capacity tripled to 176 billion gallons.