The Southwest Florida Water Management District is teaming up with the Florida Department of Environmental Protection’s (FDEP) Department of Parks and Recreation on a restoration project aimed at cleaning up the Homosassa Springs headspring, located within the Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park, and the Blue Waters area of the Homosassa River.
The project will remove 25,000 cubic yards of accumulated sediment, which causes reduced water quality when the sediment is disturbed. The accumulated sediment also hinders manatees from accessing the spring run during low water conditions and is not conducive to the growth of desirable submerged aquatic vegetation.
The first phase of the two-phase project includes design and permitting. The second phase, which is proposed for fiscal year (FY) 2006, involves removing and disposing the sediment. Funding for the first phase is divided among the District’s Coastal Rivers Basin Board and the FDEP Department of Parks and Recreation. Each partner will fund up to $175,000. Funding for phase two is contingent upon board approval.
During the past few years, Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park officials have spent more than $1 million to complete several projects aimed at eliminating the sources of the sediment accumulating in the spring run. Park officials have removed more than 2,000 feet of limerock and gravel walkways in the floodplain of the spring run and replaced them with elevated walkways. Low berms and native vegetation have been installed along the banks of the spring run to capture and treat stormwater runoff from the park before it enters the spring run. Animal waste from the zoo areas has been minimized through the reduction of the number of captive animals and by providing waste capture and disposal for the remaining animals.