Battle Brewing Over Lake Levels

A big battle has been brewing between lakefront homeowners and businesses, and the governor-appointed board of the St. John's River Water Management District.

Riley Warrdrip lives on the Harris chain of lakes on the Lake/Orange county line, but he's also the guy responsible for reporting the monthly water levels the county reports to the state.

So he knows his bottom-line.

Warrdrip says, "We lost three-three and a half inches in the month of December alone. If you count from the 8th when it closed, that's almost an inch a week."

Which is why Warrdrip and hundreds of others says the St. John’s River Water Management District Board needs to make better decisions when it comes to controlling the low water levels several dry winters have left us with over the past few years?

Hundreds of residents showed up at a meeting at the Mission Inn Resort to talk about why.

Warrdrip says, "The Harris chain, particularly Lake Dora, is the center of our tourism. The antique boat show alone is the largest in the U-S and it comes here every March."

Management of Florida's waterways falls to the nine members appointed by the governor to the district board. This year, like last, they completely stopped the flow of water out of Lake Apopka, which in turn shortchanged the flow of water into the already low waters of Lakes Dora, Harris, and Eustis, which shortchanged the flow of water into already low Lake Griffin. And on top of that, the district is still draining water from the Harris chain of lakes and Lake Griffin, and that has some crying favoritism toward Lake Apopka.

Hank Largon is a spokesman for the St. John's River Water Management District, and he tells Fox 35, "Yes, there are the environmental concerns of Lake Apopka, but I don't think those concerns weigh any more heavily."

Largon says after last night's backlash, the water district is considering a more equitable way to monitor water levels; and in the meantime, businesses that rely on waterways that support safe boating and homeowners like Warrdripp wait anxiously for a decision.

Warrdrip says, "Especially homeowners like me who pay inflated taxes based on living on waterfront property."

As of right now, there is no representative from Lake County on the Water Management Board, even though Lake County has the most lakes.

Since the first publication of this article, the St. John's River Water Management District has agreed to change the method used to stabilize water levels, which is expected to add six inches to Lake Griffin.