Federal, state and local officials gathered in Indiantown to celebrate their newest project which will reduce stress on an already fragile Indian River Lagoon.
The C-44 Reservoir and Storm Water Treatment Area will take up thousands of acres and will take water from the C-44 canal. That water will be diverted and run through the site which will use plants, like algae, to get rid of chemicals like nitrogen and phosphorous caused by pesticides, fertilizers and septic tanks.
A large crowd gathered for the groundbreaking of the newest phase.
Pollutants were to blame when microscopic algae bloomed in Florida waterways in 2013. They killed thousands of acres of seagrass and hundreds of manatees along with pelicans and dolphins.
The project is part of a 2.2 billion dollar investment by the Obama Administration to restore the Everglades.
Officials say it will take at least 10 years for the project to be complete.
