Lake Apopka is one of Florida’s largest lakes and was once considered to be one of the world’s best lakes for bass fishing. The lake’s sport fish population began to decline in the 1960s, with major die-offs occurring almost yearly. The lake’s problems are generally considered to be the result of over-nutrification from various sources. Twenty thousand acres of wetlands bordering the lake’s north shore were drained in the 1940s and used for highly fertile “muck farms.” These farms were routinely flooded to protect the fragile soil, and the fertilizer and pesticide-laden water was then discharged back into the lake prior to each growing season. Other sources of pollution include discharge from citrus processing operations, as well as treated wastewater from sewage plants. The nutrient-rich discharge promoted algae growth in the lake, turning the water to a green color, and blocked sunlight from reaching aquatic vegetation, which provided food and habit to the lake’s fish population. The lake’s bottom soil became increasingly “mucky,” also disrupting aquatic vegetation from taking root.

Restoration work on the lake began in the 1960s with attempts by various agencies to remove “trash fish,” such as gizzard shad, from the lake via seining, which would hopefully allow the lake’s sportfish to thrive. The Lake Apopka Restoration Council, an initiative formed under Governor Claude Kirk (1926-2011) in 1967, launched several studies to find methods to improve the lake, though no serious action was taken. Various methods were debated to restore the lake through the 1970s and 1980s, including “drawdown,” which entailed completely draining the lake to allow the mucky bottom to consolidate. Restoration attempts were stalled for lack of funding and research.

The Lake Apopka Restoration Council was reformed in 1985 under Governor Bob Graham (b. 1936), and, in 1987, the Surface Water and Improvement Management Act was passed. Together, these actions allowed comprehensive restoration plans to take shape, such as the Marsh Flow-way, a project by the St John’s Water Management District that uses natural methods to remove nutrients from the lake. The Friends of Lake Apopka, a citizen environmental advocacy group, began to push for further restoration efforts in the 1990s. The lake’s north shore muck farms were eventually purchased by the State of Florida, helping to reduce the amount of nutrient entering the lake.]]> Oakland Nature Preserve, Oakland, Florida.]]> Florida Department of Environmental Regulation]]> Oakland Nature Preserve, Oakland, Florida.]]> Friends of Lake Apopka Collection, RICHES of Central Florida.]]> Adobe Acrobat Reader]]> Florida Department of Environmental Regulation.]]>

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Lake Apopka is one of Florida’s largest lakes and was once considered to be one of the world’s best lakes for bass fishing, supporting a large sport fishing and tourism industry. The lake’s sport fish population began to decline in the 1960s, with major die-offs occurring almost yearly. The lake’s problems are generally considered to be the result of over-nutrification from various sources. 20,000 acres of wetlands bordering the lake’s north shore were drained in the 1940s and used for highly fertile “muck farms”. These farms were routinely flooded to protect the fragile soil; this fertilizer and pesticide laden water was then discharged back into the lake prior to each growing season. Other sources of pollution include discharge from citrus processing operations as well as treated wastewater from sewage plants. The nutrient-rich discharge promoted algae growth in the lake, turning the water to a green color, and blocked sunlight from reaching aquatic vegetation which provided food and habit to the lake’s fish population. The lake’s bottom soil became increasingly “mucky”, also disrupting aquatic vegetation from taking root.

Restoration work on the lake began in the 1960s with attempts by various agencies to remove “trash fish” like gizzard shad from the lake via seining, which would hopefully allow the lake’s sportfish to thrive. The Lake Apopka Restoration Council, an initiative formed under Governor Claude Kirk in 1967, launched several studies to find methods to improve the lake, though no serious action was taken. Various methods were debated to restore the lake through the 1970s and 80s, including “drawdown”, which entailed completely draining the lake to allow the mucky bottom to consolidate. Restoration attempts were stalled for lack of funding and research.

The Lake Apopka Restoration Council was reformed in 1985 under Governor Bob Graham; in 1987 the Surface Water and Improvement Management Act was passed; together these allowed comprehensive restoration plans to take shape, such as the Marsh Flow-way, a project by the St John’s Water Management District which uses natural methods to remove nutrients from the lake. The Friends of Lake Apopka, a citizen Environmental advocacy group, began to push for further restoration efforts in the 90s. The lake’s north shore muck farms were eventually purchased by the State of Florida, helping to reduce the amount of nutrient entering the lake.]]> Oakland Nature Preserve, Oakland, Florida.]]> Oakland Nature Preserve, Oakland, Florida.]]> Friends of Lake Apopka Collection, RICHES of Central Florida.]]> Adobe Acrobat Reader]]> Friends of Lake Apopka and is provided here by RICHES of Central Florida for educational purposes only.]]> Oakland Nature Preserve, Oakland, Florida.]]> Oakland Nature Preserve, Oakland, Florida.]]> Friends of Lake Apopka Collection, RICHES of Central Florida.]]> Adobe Acrobat Reader]]> Friends of Lake Apopka and is provided here by RICHES of Central Florida for educational purposes only.]]> Oakland Nature Preserve, Oakland, Florida.]]> Oakland Nature Preserve, Oakland, Florida.]]> Friends of Lake Apopka Collection, RICHES of Central Florida.]]> Adobe Acrobat Reader]]> Friends of Lake Apopka and is provided here by RICHES of Central Florida for educational purposes only.]]> Oakland Nature Preserve, Oakland, Florida.]]> Oakland Nature Preserve, Oakland, Florida.]]> Friends of Lake Apopka Collection, RICHES of Central Florida.]]> Adobe Acrobat Reader]]> Friends of Lake Apopka and is provided here by RICHES of Central Florida for educational purposes only.]]>