St . Lucie River / C-23 Water Quality Project
The water quality project located at McCarty Ranch Extension will keep nearly 9 billion gallons of water from entering the North Fork of the St . Lucie River annually . This will result in a 21 % reduction in excess freshwater discharge from the C-23 Canal into the river .
This water quality project will take approximately 1,871 acres of fallow citrus grove and a 730-acre water impoundment , located at McCarty Ranch Preserve , and convert them to shallow water storage facilities consisting of seven reservoirs capable of receiving water diverted from the C-23 Canal . It also will capture an annual average of 53 inches of rain on the property reducing the need to discharge .
$ 9,093,927
Total funding needed for Areas 4-7
$ 20,969,654.45 Land acquisition costs
$ 180,000
Annual operating cost
6.330 billion
Gallons of water diverted from the C-23 Canal annually
2.554 billion
Gallons of rainfall and excess water during annual wet season stored annually
21 %
Reduction in excess freshwater discharge from the C-23 Canal into the North Fork of the St . Lucie River
56,959 pounds nitrogen
Removed from the water entering the North Fork of the St . Lucie River annually
7,703 pounds phosphorus
Removed from the water entering the North Fork of the St . Lucie River annually
8.884 billion
Gallons total will be kept from entering North Fork of St . Lucie River annually
$ 5.336 million Grant funding received for phases 1 to 4 and area 6 through 2019
14 Water Quality Initiatives | City of Port St . Lucie