HomeMy WebLinkAboutLake Jesup Gets by with Help from Friends-1996 Lake Jesup gets
by with help Yet Jesup% waters — home to a
large alligator population —are es-
sentially dead, carrying little oxy-
from Friends gen. The culprit? For decades, diverted much of the St. Johns'
treatment plants dumped raw cleansing current The lake's flow
sewage into the lake. slowed again in the 1950s when the
By Mary Brooks The resulting phosphorus state built the SR. 48 bridge, dos-
spawned algae blooms that robbed keg off one et two roam channels to
OF THE SENTINEL STAFF plants and marine life of axygen the river.
Over the years, the lake suffered The Friends hope to for that dur-
Driving across the Central Florida frequent fish kills. Even now, a big the state Department ofTrans-
GreeneWay bridge over Lake Jesup, motor- thick layer of muck covers the portation's replacement of the SR.
ists may be struck by the scene of serenity: lake's bottom. 46 bridg e
shimmering water dotted with misty is-
"Lake Jesup's unique problem, "We're looking at puttingin addi-
lands, bordered by a rugged shoreline of Perhaps,is that no one had paid at- tional charnel openings to improve
pastures,palms and cypress trees. tention for a long time," said J.R circulation .. . between the St.
But the shallow lake's polluted past was Ball, Seminole's storm-water man-' Johns and Lake Jesup," said Regi-
anything but tranquil, marked by decades ager. na Lovings, program manager for
of neglect. And as the surrounding area Dumping sewage into the lake the water management district.
continues to develop, the future of the has been prohibited since 1983,but The committee also is,trying to
state's 16th-largest lake remains uncertain. the damage remains. "It is the sec- stave off the influx of runoff from
Sprawling across 10,000 acres, Lake Je- and most polluted lake in the state, surrounding communities. Six
sup's marshes provide vital animal habitat. and that's not because of current creeks Row into the lake: Soldiers,
The Seminole County lake expands to conditions," said Friends member Howell, Gee, Sweetwater, Salt and
16,000 acres during heavy rains, holding Tom McCord,who lives nearby. Wharf.
storm water that might otherwise flood sur- The mission of the Friends, led "Tye seen anything from tires to
rounding communities. by the St.Johns River Water Man- filmy oil,bottles,cans—trash of all
"It's kind of the sink for south central agement District, includes assess- types,"Lovings said."One time we
Seminole County." said Colleen Ratelle, ing and hying to coned the long-- got a call from someone Who saw a
senior county planner. term effects of pollution. • washing machine flowing down
Please see JESUP, BS Until now, the group concentrat- Howell Creek and headed for Lake
ed on gathering data on water qual- Jesup."
ity, evaporation, circulation and The Friends advocate improving
other measurements. Teams have drainage systems to handle con-
0o r water been collecting and analyzing sum- 'tinning growth. One proposal
pies of the mucky bottom: would create an 8-acre storm-water
circulation The group is working on pro- Pak to delay water so the silt could
jects that could produce long-term fall out before going into the lake.
repoor circulation. Water takes 80 to have taken steps to protect the lake ults, such as tackling the lake's Agencies in the group already
hurts lake
poor
100 days to move around Take Je- from nearby development. The
sup,but only 10 to 21 days to arcu- county, Sanford, the water district
late around nearby lakes Harney and DOT have bought more'than
JESUP from B-1 and Monroe. 7,000 acres for preservation.
"what we have here is a little bit Another goal is to revive bass
of a Dead Sea approach — there's and other fish in the lake. The
That's a big reason the Friends of not a lot of cleansing going on" Friends propose replacing exotic
Lake Jesup is working to restore Ball said. plants with more indigenous
the natural resource, which joins Lake Jesup's natural flushing around the lake's Bird Island.
ones
the St. Johns River just north of ability diminished in the 1930s, The
herb-
the State Road 46 bridge. y group ont plans to use here
Created by the Legislature in neers the U.S.Army entps of l that it icides and controlled burns this
1994, the Friends council consists dug a government canal th summer on a 5-acre test area to get
of 16 state agencies and environ- rid of cattails. The aim is to make
mental and homeowners groups. room for marsh grasses that allow
Council members have been trying water to rise and
to figure out how best to clean up that attract fish easily, and
and restore the lake. Friends nd wading y birds.
ends ogle members aril they hope
Lake offer is alive with life. Its healthy Jesup recreational one al ave bratOrM a
shores offer soot+nary to bald ea- healthy mcmatiorral��.
gles,osprey, sandhill cranes. snowy
egrets and blue herons. Deer, wild "Fishing in business i a old be of
�t at economic —it cow in le
hogs and turkeys find shelter amid q6 o et great economic benefit to Seminole
cypress,cedar and oak trees. County," said Lawson Snyder of
the Florida Guile and Fresh Water
Fish Commission:
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Efforts are under way to restore health to Lake Jesup, as seen from GreeneWay bridge.
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