C-44 Reservoir- Everglades Restoration



(C-44 Reservoir) The restoration of the Everglades has been called one of the most significant environmental projects ever undertaken. One of the key projects within the overall Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP) is the C-44 Reservoir Storm Water Treatment Area Project. TMBA created a series of animations about the C-44 Reservoir Storm water Treatment Area Project for CERP and SFWMD.

Located halfway between Lake Okeechobee and the ocean in Martin County, the completed C-44 reservoir will span 3,400 acres holding water up to 15 feet deep. The above-ground reservoir will provide 50,600 acre-feet of water storage -- the same capacity as 25,000 Olympic-sized swimming pools. The massive water storage area will work together with 6,200 acres of stormwater treatment area to capture and treat water before it is released to the C-44 Canal and flows to the Indian River Lagoon and St. Lucie Estuary.

The primary goal of the project is to change the timing and quality of the water discharging into the C-44 canal, resulting in improved water quality to the SLE through the use of over 3,000 acres of reservoir and 6,000 acres of stormwater treatment area cells (STA).

The flow regime of the C-44 Canal must be understood so that the reservoir and STA cells can be designed effectively. This understanding is developed through the use of hydrologic, hydraulic models and water quality models. The hydrologic and hydraulic models which are the subject of this paper were used for the simulation of the operations of the C-44 Project, including the evaluation of C-44 Canal flows and water surface elevations, intake canal and pump station hydraulics, reservoir discharge and flow distribution, STA hydraulic performance, and ultimate system discharge.

The main purpose of the C-44 reservoir is to capture and detain C-44 Basin stormwater thereby reducing the volume and flow rate of stormwater discharging through S-80 into the St. Lucie Estuary.

everglades restoration | c44 | TMBA

The capture and attenuation of peak flows in the C-44 Canal potentially helps to reduce the number of extreme events of freshwater discharge to the estuary in conjunction with the other IRL-South components in the Recommended Plan.

The additional structural components required for the C-44 Project to achieve the attenuation goals in the estuary included:

• A reservoir pump station on the C-44 Canal with a maximum capacity of 1,100 cubic feet
per second (cfs),
• An emergency overflow spillway,
• A reservoir drawdown structure, and
• Pump stations and gated culverts to distribute water from the reservoir to the East and West STAs and discharge of the treated water to the C-44 Canal.

TMBA created a series of animations as a part of the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Project (CERP).

You can read more about that project here: Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Project (CERP)

wes-skiles-02"When we needed high quality HD animation we turned to Tim McGarvey, and TMBA. We had already learned the hard way that not all graphic animation companies can even come close to delivering what we expect.

TMBA not only does outstanding work, they do it on time, and on budget. Even more, as true artists they care and go the extra mile to make sure their work blends seamlessly to our own high standards.

TMBA is in a class of their own no matter what project or budget you are on. I wouldn't even consider ever working with anyone else no matter how big or small the project may be.

I trust them, and truly feel they our part of our own team. Real people, doing really great work hand in hand with your own production."


Wes Skiles
Executive Producer/Director
Karst Productions, Inc.