Join a virtual meeting of the Friends of Lake Apopka on Oct. 8, 2020, at 6 p.m. for a special presentation by Dr. Erich Marzolf, Director of the Division of Water and Land Resources for the St. Johns River Water Management District.

          Dr. Marzolf will give a presentation on the multiple initiatives under way to restore Lake Apopka. The 30,000-acre lake, plus the 20,000-acre Lake Apopka North Shore, is under the management of the SJRWMD.

          Lake Apopka, Florida’s fourth largest lake, has been the subject of restoration efforts since the early 1990s. For decades in the mid-1900s, agricultural and wastewater practices inundated the lake with nutrients, leading to algae blooms and a loss of game fish habitat. At its most polluted, Lake Apopka’s mean annual total phosphorus concentrations were almost 300 parts per billion (ppb).  The State’s water quality target is 55 ppb.

          Water quality restoration efforts have paid off. Since the late 1980s, phosphorus concentrations have declined 64 percent and water clarity increased enough for submersed aquatic vegetation to rapidly recolonize the lake, providing critical game fish habitat.

          The meeting will be conducted via Zoom. Here are the ground rules: All participants, except for speakers, will be muted by the moderator. Questions may be submitted in writing via the chat function in Zoom. The meeting will be recorded.

          Here is the link for the Zoom meeting: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84526335854?pwd=MVdBalNIRmdOYlRjRWZuaUZvMDNUdz09

About the Friends of Lake Apopka

          The Friends of Lake Apopka is a citizens advocacy group dedicated to restoring Lake Apopka to its once-pristine condition. For more information, please visit our website at www.fola.org.