Of note, the groups opposed to Ocklawaha restoration are primarily focused on fishing for largemouth bass for sport from boats rather than subsistence in fact, due to mercury contamination, the Florida Department of Health advises that women of childbearing age and young children never eat largemouth bass caught in the reach of the river downstream of the dam. Unfortunately, restoration has been rendered controversial by small groups of sport fishermen. Economic research indicates potential benefit to the local economy, too activities centered around the natural stretches of the Ocklawaha result in greater economic contribution, compared to recreation on the reservoir. Scientific reports suggest that the Ocklawaha’s freshwater springs could provide critical warm-water habitat for as many as 1,000 manatees and that sport fishing opportunities will increase for many species. Johns River - andcould very well improve water quality over time. Johns River Water Management District suggests that restoration would not exacerbate nutrient pollution in the St. Water quality in both the immediate area and the St. The drawdowns also provide the public with a glimpse at the 20 turquoise springs beneath the reservoir.Īll these benefits could be present permanently with restoration of the Ocklawaha River. FDEP cites enhancement of sport fisheries, sediment oxidation, and general improvement of the ecological health of the system as additional drawdown benefits. During these drawdowns, the water level is lowered, drying the shallow areas and killing these invasive plants. In addition to herbicides, the state manages the invasive plants by conducting drawdowns every few years one such drawdown will begin this autumn. FDEP indicates that the 2018 cost was at least $46,000. According to Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP), the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission budgets approximately $30,000 per year for aquatic plant control, primarily herbicides. Invasive vegetation carpets many areas of the reservoir. Despite the passing of decades since the Ocklawaha flowed freely, the memory of the forest persists, both through the treetop “stumps” peeking over the water and in dozens of dead tree trunks floating through the reservoir, clustered primarily against the Kirkpatrick Dam itself. In person, it is very apparent that damming the Ocklawaha drowned an ecosystem. The destruction caused by construction of the Barge Canal was enabled by machines called “Crusher-Crawlers,” which flattened thousands of cypress trees in the Ocklawaha River floodplain. The Barge Canal, intended as a shipping canal across the entire state to connect the Gulf of Mexico to the Atlantic Ocean, was halted by executive order in 1971 due to the immense environmental destruction associated with its construction.ĭespite the Barge Canal project’s cancellation and the fact that the Kirkpatrick Dam does not generate power nor any other significant public benefit, the Ocklawaha remains impounded - to the detriment of this and connected ecosystems. The Rodman Dam, renamed the Kirkpatrick Dam in the 1990s (but largely referred to by both names), was a component of the ill-fated Cross Florida Barge Canal, a project authorized by Congress in 1942. Johns River, once flowed freely, fed by a multitude of freshwater springs however, the Ocklawaha has been dammed since 1968. The Ocklawaha River, the largest tributary of the St. With Florida’s waterways in crisis, the time is now. So much potential lies in the prospect of restoring the Ocklawaha River to a free-flowing state potential to uncover its freshwater springs, long-drowned by the murky waters of the Rodman Reservoir, and potential benefits to water quality, the local economy, and native species.
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