Infrastructure project helps protect water quality in Lake Apopka

From the St. Johns River Water Management District

The St. Johns River Water Management District’s Governing Board awarded a contract Tuesday for construction services for a water quality project at the district’s Lake Apopka North Shore.

“Our focus remains centered on projects that bring us closer to our goal of restoring the lake’s water quality,” said St. Johns River Water Management District Executive Director Dr. Ann Shortelle. “Working in tandem with our other restoration projects at the lake, this project will help improve water quality in Lake Apopka.”

The contract is for construction of a pump station and was awarded to Intercounty Engineering, Inc.

The pump station is part of a larger infrastructure project that will allow water managers to hold and treat water on the Lake Apopka North Shore more effectively by raising levees, providing the ability to pump water to a higher elevation, and providing better access to the treatment systems during and after major storm events.

Once complete, the project is estimated to reduce the discharge of total phosphorus to Lake Apopka by 143 pounds per year.

The St. Johns River Water Management District staff are committed to ensuring the sustainable use and protection of water resources for the benefit of the people of the district and the state of Florida. The St. Johns River Water Management District is one of five districts in Florida managing groundwater and surface water supplies in the state. The district encompasses all or part of 18 northeast and east-central Florida counties. District headquarters are in Palatka, and staff also are available to serve the public at service centers in Maitland, Jacksonville, and Palm Bay.