Middle St. Johns - Florida Department of Environmental Protection

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Water Quality Assessment Report: Middle St. Johns
communities, as well as river-based recreation. The surrounding landscape
of the forest contributes to water resource protection of the Lake George
watershed and aquifer recharge.
The Lake George region is also part of an extensive wildlife corridor
that provides habitat and roaming areas vital to the survival of the local
black bear population (Ursus americanus floridanus). Other wildlife that
make their homes in the forest include the bald eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus),
sandhill crane (Grus canadensis pratensis), white-tailed deer
(Odocoileus virginianus), wild turkey (Meleagris gallopavo silvestris), bobcat
(Lynx rufus), and gopher tortoise (Gopherus polyphemus). One of the largest
concentrations of bald eagles statewide can be found around Lake George
(Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission [FWC] Bald Eagle
Nesting Survey Data Layer, 2000). This cluster of bald eagle nests is 1 of
13 clusters statewide needed to ensure the survival of the species within
Florida.
Rare and imperiled or unique species of fish and aquatic invertebrates
occur in the planning unit. The endangered shortnose sturgeon
(Acipenser brevirostrum) is thought by fishery biologists to have used the
St. Johns River upstream to Lake George. The collection of shortnose
sturgeon in recent years has been rare (Hoehn, 1998). Other rare and
imperiled fish observed in the Lake George watershed are blueback herring
(Alosa aestivalis) and bluenose shiner (Pteronotropis welaka) (Hoehn,
1998). The Silver Glen Springs crayfish (Procambarus attiguus) is found
in Silver Glen Springs. Croaker Hole, a spring in the bed of the St. Johns
River, is the primary thermal refuge for striped bass (Morone spp.) on the
St. Johns River, although stripers may occur as far upstream as Lake Jesup
(Cross, 1994).
Water Quality Improvement Plans and Projects
The Lake George Restoration Project has been under way since 1997.
Agencies involved include the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACOE),
the FWC, the SJRWMD, and the Department’s Central District and its
Bureau of Invasive Plant Management, as well as concerned residents and
property owners. The project’s goals include removing and preventing the
accumulation of muck along the lake’s shoreline and restoring and maintaining
the health of the lake (Department, 1991). Appendix C summarizes
restoration and protection efforts in the basin, by planning unit.
Waters will not be placed on the Verified List if the Department
receives reasonable assurance that existing or proposed projects and/or programs
are expected to result in the attainment of water quality standards or
consistently improve water quality over time. Chapter 4 and Appendix D
contain additional information on the requirements for reasonable
assurance.
For this planning unit, no management plans or projects complying
with the Department’s guidance for reasonable assurance have been provided
for the 2002 list of impaired waters.