The St Johns River Water Management District may put in a request with the Federal Government for funds to assist with nutrient reduction programs for rivers and tributaries of the Ocklawaha River in Central Florida. The proposal would request funds to dump more alum in the rivers and ponds which collects excess nutrients and drags them down into the river bottom and sediment where they no longer pollute the waterways and promote the growth of algae and invasive species plants which clog up the natural flowing rivers and deplete the oxygen reserves which can lead to fish kills and wildlife die offs.
The decision has not been made to even ask but if they do get the funding it will be great news for the Ocklawaha River which is over run with weeds and algae growth in many areas.
St. Johns water district may request funds for river cleanup
The St. Johns River Water Management District this week will consider requesting nearly $3 million to reduce nutrient pollutants in waters flowing into the upper Ocklawaha River and to reduce pollutants in the river basin. The district board will consider asking state lawmakers to fund a series of projects throughout the district’s 18 counties, which includes part of Marion and Alachua. The projects focus on reducing the growing levels of nutrient pollutants, such as nitrogen and phosphorus, which damage the river’s delicate chemical balance and wildlife. The water agency is asking lawmakers for $900,000 to help remove unwanted nutrients that promote unwanted algae growth and disrupts fish populations and plant life. The funding would help pay for a chemical compound called alum, which attaches to particles and nutrients in the water and then settles at the bottom of lakes, where the trapped nutrients can no longer do any harm.
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