Lake Apopka is located
west of
Orlando and mostly in
Orange County, but the
western part is in
Lake County. Lake Apopka is the fourth
largest lake in Florida and one of the largest
in the
United States. It forms the headwaters of
the Harris chain of lakes and the
Ocklawaha
River. It is over 30,000 acres in size, with a
drainage basin of 119,773 acres. Approximately
30% of the lake is fed by the Gourd Neck Spring;
the remainder is direct rainfall and stormwater
runoff. The only surface water outflow from Lake
Apopka is the Apopka-Beauclair Canal, which
flows north into Lake Beauclair and the Harris
chain. Discharge from the canal is controlled at
the Apopka-Beauclair Lock and Dam, which
influences lake stage. From
Lake Dora, water
flows into Lake Eustis, then into
Lake Griffin
and then northward into the Ocklawaha River,
which flows into the
St. Johns River.
Lake Apopka has a history
of more than 100 years of human alteration,
beginning with construction of the Apopka-Beauclair
Canal in 1888. In 1941, a levee was built along
the north shore to drain 20,000 acres (80 km˛)
of shallow marsh for farming. In 1947, a
hurricane destroyed much of the lake’s aquatic
vegetation. One month later, the first of many
recorded algae blooms occurred. The added
discharge of water, rich in nutrients from
agricultural and other sources, produced
conditions that created a chronic algal bloom
and resulted in loss of the lake’s recreational
value and game fish populations. In the late
1990s, birds at the lake were actually falling
from the sky and dying in large numbers. Most of
the dead birds were
White Pelicans, but
Great Egrets and
Ring-billed gulls made up most of the other
deaths. The deaths were thought to be tied to
pesticides that farmers depended on for
decades, called
organochlorines.
Restoration of Lake Apopka
has been supported by several watershed efforts,
including the 1993 Surface Water Improvement and
Management (SWIM) Plan for Lake Apopka and most
recently, Basin Management Action Plan (BMAP)
development. The 1999 Florida Watershed
Restoration Act outlines an innovative process
for implementing total daily maximum loads (TMDLs)
by creating BMAPs with participation local
stakeholders. In August 2007, the Upper
Ocklawaha BMAP was completed. This plan
identifies water quality restoration goals (TMDL
targets), management actions (programs and
projects), an implementation strategy (funding,
timelines, etc.) and an adaptive management
approach based on water quality monitoring.
The BMAP addresses a wide
variety of pollutant sources in the watershed.
For Lake Apopka, the primary focus was on
nutrient removal via a marsh flow-way system,
management of urban stormwater, management of
agricultural nutrient loading and restoration of
the historic agricultural areas on the north
side of the lake. Those management actions
considered technically feasible, financially
viable and environmentally beneficial were
included in the BMAP. Use of these criteria
resulted in a list of management actions that
integrates a wide variety of programs and
activities sponsored by members of the Working
Group.
An adaptive management approach
is also included in the BMAP to identify and
make modifications when circumstances change or
when feedback mechanisms indicate that a more
effective strategy is needed. Tracking
implementation, monitoring water quality and
pollutant loads and periodic Working Group
meetings to share information and expertise are
key components of the adaptive management
approach.
This group met nearly monthly
from June 2004 through June 2006, with three
subsequent meetings through the end of 2007.
Through a consensus-based process, they jointly
developed the BMAP, with guidance provided by
the Department of Environmental Protection and
significant support from the St. Johns River
Water Management District. In addition, a number
of special briefings and presentations were
carried out as needed for city councils, county
commissions, elected official liaisons from
local governments, special interest groups,
community organizations and others.
The estimated cost of the
management actions included in the Upper
Ocklawaha BMAP for Lake Apopka totals more than
$125 million. Funding sources range from local
stormwater fees to regional and state cost-share
grants and legislative appropriations.
Local partners: 22 local
governments; six state agencies; Florida
Department of Environmental Protection; St.
Johns River Water Management District.
Boat Ramps:
