DEP HOSTS WORKSHOP TO DEVELOP RESTORATION GOALS FOR LAKE WEIR

Press Release graphic

PRESS RELEASE: May 22, 2015

CONTACT: DEP Press Office, 850.245.2112, DEPNews@dep.state.fl.us

DEP HOSTS WORKSHOP TO DEVELOP RESTORATION GOALS FOR LAKE WEIR

~Department solicits feedback on water quality restoration goals ~

EAST LAKE WEIR, Fla. – On May 27, The Florida Department of Environmental Protection will hold a public workshop to further develop water quality restoration goals for Lake Weir. Located in the Ocklawaha River Basin, Lake Weir contains excess nutrients that have caused water quality complications. The restoration goals will define reductions in nutrients necessary to restore the water body to health.

“We want our restoration process to be inclusive,” said Tom Frick, director of the Division of Environmental Assessment and Restoration. “As we develop our water quality goals, these public meetings are an opportunity for stakeholders and the public to be part of the conversation.”

These water quality goals are known as TMDLs, or total maximum daily loads. Total maximum daily loads are a calculation of the maximum amount of a specified pollutant that a water body can contain and still remain healthy and functional. DEP uses available data, watershed models, as well as stakeholder and public input, to develop the best possible TMDLs. After adoption, TMDLs serve as the primary objective for long-term restoration plans that identify strategies and projects to reduce or eliminate pollutant sources. 

Since the last workshop, DEP has received new information regarding sources of nutrient pollution to the lake and the restoration goals have been revised to incorporate the new data. The revisions will be discussed at the workshop. After the TMDLs have been finalized, the department intends to move forward with a combined project to adopt TMDLs for five lakes within the Ocklawaha River Basin: Lake Weir, Lake Denham, Lake Roberts, Marshall Lake and Lake Lochloosa.

Lake Weir is a 5,600 acre lake in Marion County southeast of Ocala within the Ocklawaha River Basin. The lake is naturally spring fed and clear with a white, sandy bottom. Lake Weir is a popular destination for fishing, boating and other water sports.

For meeting details, please click here