Letter from John R. Dollar to W. R. Clonts (December 10, 1979)
Dublin Core
Title
Letter from John R. Dollar to W. R. Clonts (December 10, 1979)
Alternative Title
Letter from Dollar to Clonts (Dec. 10, 1979)
Subject
Lake Apopka (Fla.)
Water quality--Florida
Agriculture--Florida
Description
A letter from John R. Dollar to W. R. Clonts, dated December 10, 1979. In this letter, Dollar the Project Manager for Post, Buckley, Shuch & Jernigan Inc., writes to Clonts, a farmer in the Zellwood Drainage and Water Control District (ZDWCD), to inform him of changes made by the Orange County Pollution Control Board to the district's usage of water from Lake Apopka. The changes include monitoring requirements for various pumps used by the ZDWCD, such as fuel usage and water quality sampling.
The Zellwood Drainage and Water Control District was created by the Florida Legislature in 1941 for taxation and land management of farming areas on the north shore of Lake Apopka. The district was granted powers of self-taxation and permitted to construct canals, bridges, and dikes in the area. The north shore farms were constructed on "muck land" created by the drainage of wetlands bordering Lake Apopka. The soil in these areas, often called "muck soil," is highly fertile and vulnerable to oxidation. The ZDWCD was permitted to routinely flood farmlands, when not in use, in order to keep the soil wet and preventing its loss to oxidation. These lands would then be drained before each growing season and this water was discharged back into Lake Apopka. Practices like these were considered to contribute to the pollution of Lake Apopka, with the discharge of fertilizer-rich water creating conditions of “eutrophication” in the lake and promoting the growth of harmful algae.
The Friends of Lake Apopka (FOLA), a citizen advocacy group organized for the environmental restoration of Lake Apopka in the early 1990s, lobbied for increased restrictions on the district’s ability to utilize water from Lake Apopka. These efforts culminated in a buyout of the Zellwood Drainage and Water Control District farmlands by the State of Florida in 1998, and farming operations ceased in June of that year. The ZDWCD was dissolved by the Florida Legislature in September of 2000.
The Zellwood Drainage and Water Control District was created by the Florida Legislature in 1941 for taxation and land management of farming areas on the north shore of Lake Apopka. The district was granted powers of self-taxation and permitted to construct canals, bridges, and dikes in the area. The north shore farms were constructed on "muck land" created by the drainage of wetlands bordering Lake Apopka. The soil in these areas, often called "muck soil," is highly fertile and vulnerable to oxidation. The ZDWCD was permitted to routinely flood farmlands, when not in use, in order to keep the soil wet and preventing its loss to oxidation. These lands would then be drained before each growing season and this water was discharged back into Lake Apopka. Practices like these were considered to contribute to the pollution of Lake Apopka, with the discharge of fertilizer-rich water creating conditions of “eutrophication” in the lake and promoting the growth of harmful algae.
The Friends of Lake Apopka (FOLA), a citizen advocacy group organized for the environmental restoration of Lake Apopka in the early 1990s, lobbied for increased restrictions on the district’s ability to utilize water from Lake Apopka. These efforts culminated in a buyout of the Zellwood Drainage and Water Control District farmlands by the State of Florida in 1998, and farming operations ceased in June of that year. The ZDWCD was dissolved by the Florida Legislature in September of 2000.
Creator
Dollar, John R.
Source
Original 2-page typewritten letter from John R. Dollar to W. R. Clonts, December 10, 1979: binder 1979, Friends of Lake Apopka Archives, Ginn Museum, Oakland Nature Preserve, Oakland, Florida.
Date Created
1979-12-10
Is Format Of
Digital reproduction of original 2-page typewritten letter from John R. Dollar to W. R. Clonts, December 10, 1979.
Is Part Of
Binder 1979, Friends of Lake Apopka Archives, Ginn Museum, Oakland Nature Preserve, Oakland, Florida.
Friends of Lake Apopka Collection, RICHES of Central Florida.
Requires
Format
application/pdf
Extent
169 KB
Medium
2-page typewritten letter on Post, Buckley, Shuch & Jernigan Inc. letterhead
Language
eng
Type
Text
Coverage
Lake Apopka, Florida
Accrual Method
Donation
Mediator
History Teacher
Provenance
Originally created by John R. Dollar.
Rights Holder
Copyright to this resource is held by the Friends of Lake Apopka and is provided here by RICHES of Central Florida for educational purposes only.
Contributing Project
Curator
King, Joshua
Digital Collection
Source Repository
External Reference
Jackson, Jerry. "Reaping Bucks From Muck Central Florida's $70 Million Vegetable Industry Thrives In Rich Soil." The Orlando Sentinel, August 12, 1985. Accessed August 1, 2015. http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/1985-08-12/business/0320160151_1_vegetable-industry-muck-lake-apopka.
"Special District Accountability Program." Florida Department of Economic Opportunity. Accessed August 1, 2016. https://dca.deo.myflorida.com/fhcd/sdip/OfficialListdeo/dissolved.cfm.
Collection
Citation
Dollar, John R., “Letter from John R. Dollar to W. R. Clonts (December 10, 1979),” RICHES, accessed April 25, 2024, https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka/items/show/7964.