PRESS
RELEASE: August 4, 2015
~Annual public workshop to address implementation and progress~
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – On
August 6, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection is hosting a
meeting to discuss restoration plans for the Orange Creek Basin, which will
include presenting water-quality trends in the basin and providing updates
on the plan's implementation.
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 adopted basin management action plans, or
BMAPs to address both nutrient pollution and the bacteria. After BMAP
adoption, the department hosts periodic public meetings to review progress and
refine plans going forward.
“The department has been working closely with local stakeholders
to implement a restoration plan that will improve the water quality of Orange
Creek Basin,” said Tom Frick, director of the Division of Environmental
Assessment and Restoration. “These meetings provide an opportunity to review
progress and adapt these long-term plans to new information.”
Since the BMAP was
adopted, several nutrient-reduction
projects have been implemented, including the city of Gainesville’s Paynes
Prairie Sheetflow Project. The 125-acre wetland, which receives flow
from Sweetwater Branch, allows
plants to naturally remove nutrients before the water reaches the natural
sheetflow distribution channel, improving the flow and quality of water received by
almost 1,300 acres of adjacent wetlands within Paynes Prairie Preserve State
Park. Additionally, eliminating the
direct discharge of Sweetwater Branch into Alachua Sink removes a pollutant
source to the Floridan Aquifer. The project is an innovative approach to
achieving restoration goals while providing new recreational opportunities for
Gainesville. In addition to the water-quality benefits, a network of walking trails, boardwalks and
elevated berms throughout the park allow visitors to appreciate the wetland in
a park-like setting.
In response to high levels of bacteria, the Alachua County
Environmental Protection Department collaborated with DEP to collect and
evaluate samples using a method called microbial source tracking to identify
the bacteria’s origin through DNA analysis. Knowing whether the bacteria is
human or wildlife in origin allows the two agencies to identify potential
sources and develop targeted pollution-reduction strategies. Alachua County,
Gainesville Regional Utilities and the Department of Health in Alachua County
along with other stakeholders continue to work with DEP to implement projects
to correct bacterial sources in urban streams.
Meeting details are available here.
For more information
on the Orange Creek restoration plan, please click here.
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