City Manager's Annual Report 2017 | A Year In Review | Page 42

E N V I R O N M E N TA L S T E WA R D S H I P
1.
MCCARTY
RANCH WATER
QUALITY
PROJECT
In the midst of ongoing debate about
large-scale, statewide answers to
the problems that plague the health
of the St. Lucie River and the Indian
River Lagoon, City leaders have been
working to find local solutions. Port
St. Lucie made one of those solutions
a reality in 2017 when leaders broke
ground on the McCarty Ranch Water
Quality Project. When complete, this
project will prevent up to 21 percent
of nutrient-laden excess freshwater
discharges out of the C-23 Canal
from entering the North Fork of the St.
Lucie River.
Overall, the project will take approximately 1,871 acres
of fallow citrus grove and convert them to a shallow
water storage facility, consisting of seven reservoirs.
These reservoirs will be capable of receiving water
diverted from the C-23 Canal, along with capturing an
annual average of 53 inches of rain on the property,
reducing the need to discharge into the North Fork.
Eventually, this project will become the source for an
alternate water supply for the growing City.
The first phase of the project
was funded by the South Florida
Water
Management
District
and The Florida Department of
Environmental Protection. During
the last legislative session, the
state approved a legislative grant
for $1,080,575 for the second
phase of the project. The City
Council has made acquiring
funding for remaining phases
of this project one of its top
legislative priorities in 2018.
CITY OF PORT ST. LUCIE

A N N U A L R E P O R T 2017