Lake Apopka: Operation Cleanup

ONP00141.pdf

Dublin Core

Title

Lake Apopka: Operation Cleanup

Alternative Title

Operation Cleanup

Subject

Pollution--Florida
Agriculture--Florida
Lake Apopka (Fla.)

Description

A newspaper article from FloridAgriculture, a magazine published by the Florida Farm Bureau (FFB). The bureau was formed in 1941, when Florida Citrus Growers, Inc. was reorganized as the Florida Farm Bureau, affiliated with American Farm Bureau Federation. The FFB represents Florida farmers in the Florida Legislature, studies agricultural practices, and offers insurance products for its members. This article discusses the history of Lake Apopka and its pollution, and describes research findings by Dr. Richard B. Forbes, a chemist working at the Sanford Agricultural Research and Education Center. The article also describes efforts by the Central Florida Agricultural Institute (CFAI) to stop pollution in the lake. The CFAI was a non-profit corporation formed to represent the Zellwood farmers operating on Lake Apopka's north shore and investigate potential methods to reduce pollution. The article claims that the CFAI had donated $50,000 to the Sanford Agricultural Research and Education Center and was working on reservoir systems to prevent polluted discharge water from entering the lake.

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.

Creator

White, Earl

Source

Photocopy of original magazine article: White, Earl. "Lake Apopka: Operation Cleanup." FloridAgriculture, May 1973: binder 1973, Friends of Lake Apopka Archives, Ginn Museum, Oakland Nature Preserve, Oakland, Florida.

Publisher

Date Created

ca. 1973-05

Is Format Of

Digital reproduction of photocopied magazine article: White, Earl. "Lake Apopka: Operation Cleanup." FloridAgriculture, May 1973.

Is Part Of

Binder 1973, Friends of Lake Apopka Archives, Ginn Museum, Oakland Nature Preserve, Oakland, Florida.
Friends of Lake Apopka Collection, RICHES of Central Florida.

Format

application/pdf

Extent

1.01 MB

Medium

2-page magazine article

Language

eng

Type

Text

Coverage

Zellwood, Florida
Lake Apopka
Florida
Sanford, Florida

Accrual Method

Donation

Mediator

History Teacher

Provenance

Originally created by Earl White and published by FloridAgriculture.

Rights Holder

Copyright to this resource is held by FloridAgriculture and is provided here by RICHES of Central Florida for educational purposes only.

Contributing Project

Curator

King, Joshua

Digital Collection

Source Repository

External Reference

"History of Lake Apopka." St John's River Water Management District. January 28, 2013. Accessed June 5, 2016. http://www.sjrwmd.com/lakeapopka/history.html.
"History of Florida Farm Bureau." Florida Farm Bureau. Accessed June 8, 2016. http://www.floridafarmbureau.org/history/.

Citation

White, Earl, “Lake Apopka: Operation Cleanup,” RICHES, accessed March 19, 2024, https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka/items/show/7537.

Locations

Categories