As the District continues its efforts to protect the Weeki Wachee River, the public should be aware they may see District staff and contractors working in and along the river, including the portion deemed a springs protection zone.
The District regularly conducts important work that helps protect the Weeki Wachee River. This includes:
Water Quality Data Collection – Water samples are collected quarterly by staff from numerous spring vents and at various points along the river. This information is available to the public and is used for various purposes such as modeling and establishing minimum flows as required by state law.
Vegetation Management – Vegetation management specialists conduct targeted control of nuisance and invasive vegetation along the Weeki Wachee River. This includes both aquatic and land vegetation, and staff uses various methods depending on many factors. Vegetation management is important because invasive species can disrupt ecosystems, destroy wildlife habitats, hinder navigation by vessels and limit the natural movement of water.
Land Management – The Weekiwachee Preserve borders several miles of the Weeki Wachee River. This property is part of the river’s springshed and helps capture and filter rainwater to the river. Land managers perform maintenance on the preserve’s shoreline such as plant maintenance and prescribed fires.
Restoration Projects – The District performs restoration projects to restore or enhance an area to promote the preservation of natural and existing habitats. An example of this is the current Weeki Wachee Channel Restoration Project, which is removing accumulated sediments from targeted areas of the river to re-establish historic river depths where accumulated sediments have covered natural habitats.
Mapping Submerged Aquatic Vegetation – District scientists use 22 sampling locations to evaluate submerged aquatic vegetation in the Weeki Wachee River. Data collection has occurred at these locations since the late 1990s and helps scientists assess the health of the river.
These activities are critical in supporting the District’s mission to protect our spring systems. For example, data collected for decades at the Weeki Wachee River is used by the District and other stakeholders to make critical management decisions, some of which support Florida laws. The benefits of this work have tremendous public value because they ultimately help protect the ecology of the river.
Visit WaterMatters.org/ProtectWeeki for more information about our efforts to protect the river.