Here’s How Wetlands Help Control Floods in Central Florida

Apparently Lake Jesup in Seminole County is a lake. But it is also a watershed consisting of dozens of different water sources everything ends up in the lake: like rivers, ditches, canals and other lakes.

Lake Jesup is one of five major watersheds in the larger watershed. Middle St. Johns River Basin. The St. Johns is Florida’s longest river, flowing 310 miles from its swampy starting point in Indian River County to Jacksonville, where it empties into the Atlantic Ocean.

CONNECTED: Rising water: construction, drainage, flooding.

“River of Lakes”

The St. Johns River flows from south to north, which is actually not that unusual. Like everything else, rivers follow gravity, following the path of least resistance.

But because the St. Johns River is so flat and barely fluctuates in height from start to finish, it tends to flow slowly, making it one of the laziest rivers in the world. according to the non-profit organization St. Johns Riverkeeper.. During heavy rainfall, excess water can accumulate and cause the river to rise, especially in chokepoints where the St. Johns River narrows.

The St. Johns River also widens at various points along its long and winding path, illustrating the origin of its name Seminole Creek, Welaka: “river of lakes.” Lake Jesup is a good example, according to Alex Roberts, field program manager for the St. Johns River Water Management District.

“Lake Jesup is called a lake, but it’s technically part of a river,” Roberts said. “Looks like a lake, acts like a lake, functions like a lake… It’s just a very wide basin in the river.”

Wetlands: Key to Water Control in Central Florida

The size of Lake Jesup varies considerably, from 8,000 to 16,000 acres. depending on high water heights.

Exactly two weeks after Hurricane Milton, water levels were still high enough to close the Seminole County Public Wilderness Area on the north shore of Lake Jesup. The parking lot and road to the reserve were still flooded and seemed to merge with the lake itself.

While SJRWMD has some water control facilities in the Upper Basin further south, the county’s ability to control water levels in the Middle Basin is more limited.

“(Because) we’re moving into the central area, we don’t have any water monitoring structures in that area,” said Tim Miller, director of the county’s Bureau of Water Resources Information. “For water control in the Central Florida area, we rely on these floodplains and wetlands.”

That’s why SJRWMD is committed to acquiring and conserving wetlands for floodplain conservation. Scientists estimate that one acre of wetlands can hold up to 1.5 million gallons of water. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association And Environmental Protection Agency.

Near Lake Jesup, approximately 8,500 acres of floodplain around the lake are publicly owned, between the county and Seminole counties.

Two weeks after Milton, about 100 feet from Lake Jesup’s typical dry shoreline, the north shore of the lake was completely inundated with several feet of water, meaning the wetlands there were functioning perfectly, Roberts said.

“It’s usually dry and almost like a grassland-type habitat,” Roberts said. “(But) that’s how it’s naturally supposed to act during storms. The water rises, and all the plants that grow here adapt to this flood.”

This is a real-time visual of why wetlands are so important for flood protection.

“If you built a house here, this is what would happen,” Roberts said. “And we need to keep in mind that some of these areas just have to do it. That’s what we need from them.”

Although many wetlands in Central Florida are protected, these protections do not always stand the test of time. as reported by Central Florida State Media. In just one Volusia County example, an area designated as natural wetlands was later built into Sawyer’s Landing, a subdivision of about 90 homes, according to project plans.

Now, according to county residents like Wendy Anderson, an environmental science professor at Stetson University, the area is one of several new projects supposedly sending more water to nearby, older neighborhoods built on lower ground.

“The original developers here didn’t intend to develop it because it was originally wetlands, but the people they sold it to didn’t have any problem with it.” Anderson said earlier this year..

Today, Sawyer’s Landing and another new development nearby, Victoria Trails, “create a much higher elevation, almost like a dam that pushes the water,” Anderson said.

“This water used to be spread over a much larger area of ​​wetlands and is now being held back or confined to these larger areas,” Anderson said.

Anderson is also an appointed member of the Volusia County Environment and Natural Resources Advisory Committee. ENRACwhere she helps develop language for new regulations to address flooding issues. Council members nearly dissolved the committee twice this year, most recently in September when the committee barely survived a tie vote.

One vote to save ENRAC was cast by current Board Chairman Jeff Brower, who has made a name for himself. neglect of unimpeded development of the district and sometimes insist on temporary moratoriums on construction many residents are also asking for this.

“This is a group of citizens and they really take their time looking at all the issues… floods, trees, the comprehensive plan,” Brower said of ENRAC. “It’s good to have a community like this and it’s a great cross-section (of people).”

If Brower loses his seat to opponent Randy Dye, ENRAC’s future will look a little more uncertain. While Dye said he welcomes citizen input, he also said he doesn’t like ineffective committees that are created “just for the sake of meetings.”

“At the end of the day, I think if we can help our government become more efficient, then of course by eliminating bureaucracy. But man, I… it’s hard,” Dye said. “I would say it will be very hard to say goodbye.”

The elections will take place on November 5.

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