Middle St. Johns - Florida Department of Environmental Protection

232 Water Quality Assessment Report: Middle St. Johns
been constructed, including four high-priority projects, to address bed and bank
stabilization and sediment removal. An additional four projects are in the design
phase, with construction anticipated in the next calendar year. Part of the Little
Wekiva River’s stream channel was diverted to a pipe in the 1970s. A portion of the
pipe has collapsed, causing extensive damage to several homes. One of the largest
projects currently under design is the removal of 1,700 linear feet of that pipe.
During the 2000 legislative session, $5 million was appropriated for restoring this
section of the river.
• Development of master plans: Orange and Seminole Counties have initiated the
development of master plans for their portions of the Wekiva River watershed.
Orange County has completed master plans for the Coroni, McCoy, and Prevatt
watersheds. The plans include stormwater retrofit projects.
• Land acquisition: As a result of the 1990 Central Florida Beltway Mitigation Act,
the SJRWMD has received funds to purchase environmentally sensitive lands or
restoration lands in the Wekiva River watershed. The district has completed several
ecosystem/water quality improvement projects in the watershed through the Florida
Department of Transportation’s Central Florida Beltway Mitigation Bill. Restoration
of the STS site on the Wekiva River, an erosion control project in Wekiwa Springs
State Park, the Tram Road removal in the Wekiva River Preserve State Park, and
some additional land acquisition will also be possible with funds provided through
the Beltway Bill.
• Votaw Road Pond Water Quality Improvement: Identified by Orange County in
the master plan for the Coroni, McCoy, and Prevatt watersheds, the project received
special legislative appropriations for fiscal year 2000/2001. It includes the retrofit of
a stormwater treatment system known as the Votaw Road Pond. The system drains
into the Wekiva River Basin Preserve State Park. An additional stormwater retrofit is
planned for the Lake McCoy watershed utilizing unspent funds from the Votaw Road
project. Construction on the Tanglewilde Street/Ustler Road retrofit is scheduled for
late 2002 or early 2003.
• Sweetwater Oaks/Cove Lake tributary to the Wekiva River: In 2001, the Florida
legislature provided $500,000 in funding for restoration work in this tributary
watershed. Historically, the watershed was a discharge point for treated wastewater.
The work will include water quality improvements, native vegetation restoration, and
possibly some dredging.
• Little Wekiva River Watershed Management Plan Implementation: Erosion has
caused water quality and environmental degradation in the downstream sections of
the Little Wekiva River and the Wekiva River system. The design and construction
of surface water restoration projects listed in the Little Wekiva River Watershed
Management Plan will address the erosion and sediment transport problems in the
main channel of the Little Wekiva River. The projects include structural bed and