PRESS
RELEASE: June 16, 2015
DEP HOSTS MEETING TO ADVANCE RESTORATION FOR ORANGE CREEK BASIN
~ Pollutant sources and reduction strategies to be discussed ~
GAINESVILLE,
Fla. – On June 22, the Florida
Department of Environmental Protection is hosting a meeting to discuss
restoration plans for the Orange Creek Basin. DEP representatives will discuss
pollutant sources, progress toward restoration and the development of additional restoration goals.
“Our work doesn’t end once we have
adopted a restoration plan,” said Tom Frick, director of the Division of
Environmental Assessment and Restoration. “These meetings help us to stay
actively engaged with stakeholders as we identify the best path forward.”
The Orange Creek Basin restoration plan
covers Newnans Lake, Orange Lake, Lake Wauberg, Hogtown Creek, Sweetwater
Branch, Tumblin Creek and Alachua Sink. The lakes contain an excess of nutrients and high levels of bacteria have been an issue in Hogtown Creek, Sweetwater
Branch and Tumblin Creek. To restore water quality, the department updated the
restoration plan last year to further address both excess nutrients and bacteria.
Several nutrient-reduction projects
have been implemented, including the city of Gainesville’s Paynes Prairie
Sheetflow Project. This project includes a 125-acre wetland that will receive
flow from Sweetwater Branch. The wetland will naturally remove some of the
nutrients that have depreciated water quality.
In response to high levels of bacteria,
the department has taken a number of samples and used a method called microbial
source tracking to identify the bacteria’s origin through DNA analysis. Knowing
whether the bacteria is of human or wildlife origin allows the agency to
identify potential sources and develop targeted pollution-reduction strategies. Gainesville and other
stakeholders continue to work with DEP to implement
projects to improve water quality.
For more information on the Orange Creek
restoration plan, please click here.
|