The largest whole lake enhancement project ever attempted in Florida has been completed on Lake Tohopekaliga near Kissimmee. Now we wait for rain to refill the lake. "Lake enhancement" here means "enhancement of fish and wildlife habitat", according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission's Kissimmee office.
Lake Toho, considered a premier bass fishing lake, had been suffering from static water levels and excessive plant growth which led to thick deposits of bottom muck. The muck buildup had filled areas needed for feeding by wading birds and spawning by fish.
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The plan has been to dewater (draw down) part of the lake, expose 40% of the lake bottom for three months, scrape up and remove more than 9 million cubic yards of muck from more than 3,700 bottom acres, and allow the lake to refill with summer rains. The last truckload of muck was removed and refilling began on June 15, 2004.
Over time, it is expected that the natural plant seed bank will give rise to healthy stands of knotgrasses, bullrushes, eelgrass, and other desirable plants. Workers will manage for the desirable plant species and against the problematic plant species.
This lake enhancement work has pushed back the process of eutrophication on Lake Toho. One expected response to the work is the maintenance of a high level of fish productivity for years to come.
Florida FWC biologist, Chris Michael, takes us on a tour of
the Lake Tohopekaliga muck removal and lake enhancement project.
Lake Toho enhancement is a project of the FWC in cooperation with the South Florida Water Management District, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, along with researchers of the University of Florida and others. For further information, contact Mike Hulon or Marty Mann of the FWC Aquatic Resources Enhancement Section, 1601 Scottys Road, Kissimmee, FL 34744, 407-846-5300.
This page was authored by Vic Ramey.
This page was designed and is managed by Becca Hassell.
Vic Ramey is the editor.
DEP review is by Jeff Schardt and Judy Ludlow.
This project is a collaboration of
the Center for Aquatic and Invasive Plants, University of Florida,
and the Bureau of Invasive Plant Management, Florida Department of Environmental
Protection
