District awards $2.6 million for water quality projects

Clouds reflecting in the waters of Lake Apopka

Lake Apopka is the headwaters of the Ocklawaha Chain of Lakes, located in northwest Orange and southeast Lake counties.

Lake Apopka is the headwaters of the Ocklawaha Chain of Lakes, located in northwest Orange and southeast Lake counties.

MAITLAND, Fla., Nov. 15, 2018 — The St. Johns River Water Management District Governing Board voted this week to award contracts for water quality projects at Doctors Lake in Clay County and at Lake Apopka in Orange and Lake counties. Projects at each lake will utilize innovative technology to remove phosphorus.

The Doctors Lake Phosphorus Removal Project will provide additional treatment of effluent from a wastewater treatment plant to remove phosphorus prior to entering Doctors Lake. This project will assist in furthering water quality improvements in the Doctors Lake Basin within the lower St. Johns River Basin in northeast Florida. The project is expected to remove an estimated 6,500 pounds of phosphorus annually. The project cost is $1.5 million.

The Lake Apopka Innovative Total Phosphorus Removal Project will supplement the district’s current restoration timeline by removing phosphorus from the lake’s water. This project will assist in protecting water quality in Lake Apopka, which is the headwaters of the Ocklawaha Chain of Lakes. The project is expected to remove 10,000 pounds of phosphorus over a 24-month period. The project cost is $1.16 million.

For more information about the district’s work to protect water quality, visit sjrwmd.com.