“This entire area is a water lettuce farm.”Īs the morning wore on and the fog began to dissipate, we headed south by car to the Eureka West boat launch, more than 10 miles downriver. Karen Chadwick, the captain of the boat, is a longtime advocate for partial restoration of the river. Though the water was dark and gloomy, the hidden spring hinted at what it once was - this was Marion County’s own “Blue Spring.” Hidden 5 feet below us was a lost spring - one of about 20 that are lost below the artificial lake’s waters. In the silence of the morning, we were surprised by a school of what were probably tilapia, according to our boat captain, although the water was too murky for any real visibility. The dam and reservoir flood at least 7,500 acres of land and 16 miles of river, covering around 20 natural springs.Ībout 3 miles west of the dam, our boat precariously wound around the dead tree trunks, toward a small open pool. Without a horizon line, the dead trees, in sharp relief close up, extended as far as one could see into increasingly ghostly apparitions.Įven on a clear day, the vastness of flooded land would not be comprehensible to the naked human eye. In the foggy morning, it was impossible to see the extent of the destruction. Johns Riverkeeper, Florida Defenders of the Environment, and Defenders of Wildlife accompanied the journalists on our tour. 18 was organized by the Free the Ocklawaha Coalition, which includes 33 organizations from across the state. The lowered water levels expose the layer of bottom muck to the air so it may dissipate, according to the FWC.Ī boat tour for members of the media Feb. Johns River, but its natural flow was circumvented by the creation of the Rodman Dam - an enduring symbol of decades of human hubris.Įvery three to four years, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) draw down the water at the dam, revealing the destruction caused by the dam’s creation and subsequent flooding of miles of river.ĭuring this time, parts of the natural and historical land are visible, giving a glimpse of the Ocklawaha’s past and possible future.ĭuring the drawdown, the water drops 8 feet below the 18-foot norm to prevent aquatic vegetation from amassing - a pervasive problem in the waterway. The Ocklawaha is the largest tributary of the St. ![]() This is what remains of the historic connection between the Ocklawaha River and the St. Below the pontoon boat, the water was dark - to the left, a sea of broken branches and trunks rested in muck on a thin sheen of murky liquid. Remnants of dead cypress and ash trees jutted into a dense fog, looking like ghostly soldiers standing in formation. A failed plan to create the Cross-Florida Barge Canal flooded thousands of acres of forest, clogged miles of waterways with invasive vegetation, and made 20 natural springs disappear. Editor’s note: Less than 40 miles from Volusia County, southwest of Palatka and slightly northeast of the Ocala National Forest, is a 50-year ecological disaster that spans two counties.
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