Lake Apopka Restoration Project Weekly Report (June 24 to 28, 1968)
Lake Apopka (Fla.)
Water quality--Florida
Pollution--Florida
A weekly report of the Lake Apopka Technical Committee, chaired by C. W. Sheffield. The committee was an initiative by Governor Florida Governor Claude R. Kirk, Jr. (1926-2011) to investigate pollution and possible restoration of Lake Apopka, launched in 1967. This report discusses the selection of a site for the pilot nutrient removal project on the Zellwood farmlands. The site chosen was on the Clounts farm, near Hooper Farms Road. The report further discusses the construction of this site. Additionally, the report discusses the rejection of a proposed budget by the Florida Air and Water Pollution Control Commission, which felt it was unable to provide the financial assistance requested. The report also discusses a review of aquatic weed research being conducted in Lake Virginia, to study hydrilla. Finally, the report discusses a meeting held to discuss a proposed comprehensive basin grant from the Federal Water Pollution Control Administration (FWPCA). The East Central Florida Regional Planning Council agreed to apply for this grant.
Sheffield, C. W.
Photocopy of original 2-page typewritten report by C. W. Sheffield, June 28, 1968: binder 1968, Friends of Lake Apopka Archives, Ginn Museum, <a href="http://www.oaktownusa.com/Pages/Preserve/index" target="_blank">Oakland Nature Preserve</a>, Oakland, Florida.
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Lake Apopka, Florida
Zellwood, Florida
Leesburg Committee Conclusions
Lake Apopka (Fla.)
Water quality--Florida
Pollution--Florida
A document outlining the conclusions from meeting of the Lake Apopka Technical Committee, held in Leesburg, Florida, circa June 1968. The committee was formed by Florida Governor Claude R. Kirk, Jr. (1926-2011) in 1967 to study and implement a restoration plan for Lake Apopka. C. W. Sheffield served as chairman of the committee. This committee meeting was held as a review of the project. This document thus examines the works completed by the committee as of June 1968. Additionally, it identifies outside projects related to the committee's goals of restoration, such as plans for nutrient removal systems by the Winter Garden Citrus Cooperative. This document also lists recommendations for the committee going forward, both general and specific.
Photocopy of original 5-page typewritten document, 1968: binder 1968, Friends of Lake Apopka Archives, Ginn Museum, <a href="http://www.oaktownusa.com/Pages/Preserve/index" target="_blank">Oakland Nature Preserve</a>, Oakland, Florida.
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Lake Apopka, Florida
Tavares, Florida
Leesburg, Florida
Winter Garden, Florida
Bee Line Expressway Engineering Report
Roads--Florida
Highways
An engineering report for the planned construction of Florida State Road 528 (SR 528), also called the Martin Andersen Bee Line Expressway, published in November of 1964. This report include details regarding the original phase of the project, along with a summary of future extensions, site plans, maps, and bridge plans. Now known as the Martin Andersen Beachline Expressway, SR 528 is a Central Florida Toll Road that connects Orlando, Florida, at Interstate 4 (I-4) with Cocoa Beach at Florida State Road A1A (SR A1A). The highway operates under the joint guidance of the Central Florida Expressway Authority (CFX) and the Florida's Turnpike Enterprise (FTE). The first segment of the 41 mile road was opened on July 14, 1968. Martin Anderson, the influential owner of the Orlando Sentinel newspaper, proposed the road to connect Orlando to the Florida State Road 520 (SR 520) exchange that ran to Cocoa Beach.
Original 52-page report: <a href="http://pinecastlehistory.org/" target="_blank">Pine Castle Historical Society</a>, Pine Castle, Florida.
<a href="https://www.cfxway.com/" target="_blank">Orange County Expressway Authority</a>
<a href="http://rsandh.com/" target="_blank">Reynolds, Smith &amp</a>
Hills
<a href="http://www.hntb.com/" target="_blank">Howard, Needles, Tammen &amp</a>
Bergendoff
Lake, Harriett
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Florida State Road 528, Orlando, Florida
Florida State Road 528, Christmas, Florida
Interstate 4-Florida State Road 528 Crossroad, Orlando, Florida
Sunshine State Parkway-Florida State Road 528 Crossroad, Orlando, Florida
Agreement to Establish the Oklawaha River Basin Improvement Council
Ocklawaha River (Fla.)
Pollution--Florida
An agreement to establish the Oklawaha River Basin Improvement Council, formed from a proposal by U.S. Representatives Lou Frey, Jr. (b. 1934), Don Fuqua (b. 1933), and William V. Chappell, Jr. (1922-1989). The agreement outlines the environmental issues facing the Ocklawaha River Basin and details the organization of the council, its goals, powers, and funding.<br /><br />The Oklawaha River Basin Improvement Council was formed on April 21, 1972, consisting of members representing Orange County, Lake County, Marion County, and Putnam County, as well as representatives of state agencies, such as the Florida Department of Air and Water Pollution Control. The council was formed to coordinate planning of environmental restoration at a regional level under the Florida Inter-Local Cooperation Act of 1969, which allowed city, county, and state agencies to coordinate with each other on mutually beneficial projects. The council’s primary project was a proposed drawdown of Lake Apopka, which was heavily polluted due to agricultural and sewage run-off by the 1970s. The drawdown would entail completely or mostly draining the lake, discharging the water downstream into the lakes and rivers that constitute the Ocklawaha River Basin, allowing Lake Apopka’s bottom sediments to consolidate, in the hope that this would improve Lake Apopka’s water quality. The council applied for several federal grants seeking funding for this project.
Photocopy of 3-page typewritten agreement: binder 1972, Friends of Lake Apopka Archives, Ginn Museum, <a href="http://www.oaktownusa.com/Pages/Preserve/index" target="_blank">Oakland Nature Preserve</a>, Oakland, Florida.
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Lake Apopka, Florida
Lake Beauclair, Florida
Lake Dora, Florida
Lake Harris, Florida
Lake Eustis, Florida
Lake Griffin, Florida
Lake Ocklawaha, Florida
Winter Garden, Florida
Apopka, Florida
Eustis, Florida
Mount Dora, Florida
Tavares, Florida
Clermont, Florida
Orlando, Florida
Proposed Interim Agricultural Pollution Abatement Plan
Lake Apopka (Fla.)
Pollution--Florida
Water quality--Florida
A proposed plan to lessen agricultural pollution entering Lake Apopka until comprehensive guidelines were established by the State of Florida. The plan aimed at more accurately measuring water inflow and outflow to the muck farms, using gauges installed at each pump site. The pumpage data was to then be correlated with rainfall and other hydrological measures to determine an accurate water budget for the muck farms. The plan also called for a lessening of fertilizer use by the farms, and stated that implementing these steps should be the responsibility of the muck farms and the Central Florida Agricultural Institute.<br /><br />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. <br /><br />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.<br /><br />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.
Original 6-page typewritten abatement plan, February 2, 1972: binder 1972, Friends of Lake Apopka Archives, Ginn Museum, <a href="http://www.oaktownusa.com/Pages/Preserve/index" target="_blank">Oakland Nature Preserve</a>, Oakland, Florida.
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Lake Apopka, Florida
Zellwood, Florida
StreamLines, No. 2 (March 1977)
Lake Apopka (Fla.)
Orlando (Fla.)
Environmental protection--Florida
Pollution--Florida
The <em>StreamLines</em>, a newsletter published by the East Central Florida Regional Planning Council (ECFRPC), for March 1977.This newsletter discusses workshops held by the ECFRPC reviewing financial concerns related to water management, as well as ongoing plans for a drawdown of Lake Apopka, stating that the first phase of the restoration program is due to begin in 1977, and estimates the total cost of the project to be three million dollars. The newsletter also discusses the ECFRPC's 208 Program, a water quality management program aimed at achieving water quality standards mandated by section 208 of the Clean Water Act of 1972.<br /><br />Lake drawdown is a method of environmental restoration that is used to control erosion and aquatic vegetation. Lake drawdown has also been sought as a potential method to lessen the effects of pollution by exposing the lake bed and allowing bottom sediments to dry, trapping pollutants. Opponents of lake drawdowns cite the impact of polluted water on areas downstream of the area being drained, in cases where the targeted lake is connected to a river system. Citrus growers have also opposed drawdowns on the grounds that draining large lakes makes nearby citrus groves more vulnerable to freezes, as lakes help keep temperatures stable throughout the year.<br /><br />Drawdowns of Lake Apopka have been sought by restoration efforts dating back to the 1960s, beginning with the Lake Apopka Restoration Project, organized by Governor Claude R. Kirk Jr. (1926-2011) and headed by C. W. Sheffield. These efforts were delayed and no drawdown was performed by the project. Plans for a drawdown continued to be developed, and federal and state efforts to gather funds and perform feasibility studies began in 1970. An experimental drawdown of Lake Apopka was performed in 1971, lowering the lake level by four feet, but was halted after public fears that wildlife deaths in the area were the result of the drawdown. Drawdown plans continued through the 1970s, but were continually delayed and projected costs for the project rose sharply. The project was cancelled by Governor Bob Graham (b. 1936) in 1979.
Original 4-page typewritten newsletter: <em>StreamLines</em>, March 1977: binder 1977, Friends of Lake Apopka Archives, Ginn Museum, <a href="http://www.oaktownusa.com/Pages/Preserve/index" target="_blank">Oakland Nature Preserve</a>, Oakland, Florida.
<a href="http://www.ecfrpc.org/" target="_blank">East Central Florida Regional Planning Council</a>
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Lake Apopka, Florida
Lake Eola, Orlando, Florida