SFWMD extends Caulkins Water Farm operations for 10 years

SFWMD extends Caulkins Water Farm operations for 10 yearsThe South Florida Water Management District board unanimously approved an amended agreement with Caulkins Citrus Company to continue operating the 3,275-acre Caulkins Water Farm Expansion Project at an annual service payment of $7.01 million. The project stores direct rainfall and pumps water from the C-44 Canal under the Northern Everglades and Estuaries Protection Program.

The board approved a 10-year extension of the Caulkins Water Farm Expansion Project agreement with Caulkins Citrus Company.

The project will receive an annual service payment of $7,011,267.72; the FY2026-27 payment is budgeted from state appropriations.

Located in Martin County, the approximately 3,275-acre project provides average annual storage of 26,607 acre-feet.

The District says the project provides average annual water-quality benefits of 4.6 metric tons of total phosphorus and 34.9 metric tons of total nitrogen.

South Florida Water Management District has extended the operating term of the Caulkins Water Farm Expansion Project by 10 years, preserving a 3,275-acre dispersed water-management project in Martin County that is designed to reduce damaging discharges to the St. Lucie Estuary. The Governing Board unanimously approved the amended and restated agreement with Caulkins Citrus Company on 8 October as part of its consent agenda. The agreement updates the project terms and conditions and continues operations at an annual service payment of $7,011,267.72. The full FY2026-27 payment is budgeted from dedicated state-appropriation funds, while payments in subsequent years remain subject to annual legislative appropriations and board approval of future budgets. Originally approved in November 2016, the project is part of the Northern Everglades and Estuaries Protection Program and supports the St. Lucie River Watershed Protection Plan. It retains direct rainfall and pumps water from the C-44 Canal to reduce harmful discharges to the St. Lucie Estuary. According to the District, the project provides an average annual storage benefit of 26,607 acre-feet. Its stated average annual water-quality benefit is 4.6 metric tons of total phosphorus and 34.9 metric tons of total nitrogen. The prior agreement, including two amendments, covered one year of construction and 10 years of operations. The new agreement extends the operating period by a further decade at the current annual rate. Public commenter Mark Perry backed the extension, describing dispersed water-management projects as an effective means to store and treat water on land that had been used for farming. He urged the District to compare their storage and treatment costs with those of larger projects, including the C-44 Reservoir project. The Caulkins approval came as the board also received a draft update to its Upper East Coast Water Supply Plan, covering Martin and St. Lucie counties and northeast Okeechobee County. That plan identifies the C-44 Canal among the region’s significant water resources and is scheduled to return to the board for consideration in November.