Water Quality of Winter Haven Lakes Has Improved Over Past 5 Years, 2024 Annual Lakes Report Shows
by James Quality
The overall water quality and health of local lakes haveimproved significantly over the past five years, according to the city’s annual lakes report.
At their regular meeting on Monday evening, Winter Haven city commissioners were provided a presentation by the Lakes Advisory Committee (LAC) on the 2024 Annual Lakes Report.
Since its inception in 1986, the LAC, according to the city agenda memo, “offers guidance and recommendations on the management of Winter Haven’s lakes, with the shared goal of enhancing the overall health of local waterbodies.”
According to the Annual Lakes Report, of Winter Haven’s 37 lakes, 27 exhibit good health, while others exhibit fair health. Only one lake, Lake Idyl, is considered in poor health.
The report utilizes a scoring system based on several criteria to measure lake health, including water quality, hydrology, and ecology. Based on this system, the city’s lakes have gradually experienced an increase in overall health, from 1.8 in 2018 to the current score of 2.0 in 2023.
“Since the City began active lake monitoring in 2016, several previously impaired lakes have shown measurable improvements in water quality and have begun meeting regulatory thresholds for at least one pollutant,” wrote Brittany Hart, Public Works Director, in the city agenda memo.
“Even among lakes not yet meeting all State standards, many are showing positive trends and are likely to improve further with continued management,” she further elaborated.
The LAC owes the overall progress within the past five years to several initiatives, including the hydrologic monitoring of local lakes, the maintenance and construction of green stormwater infrastructure, habitat management, and outreach and education programs, which have reached over 1,800 individuals through various events.
However, while overall lake health has significantly improved, other lakes require more attention. As the report details, five lakes take high priority due to poor lake health or declining water trends: Lakes Idyl, Hamilton, Elbert, Martha, and Hartridge.
Current ongoing efforts to improve these lakes include water quality improvement plans for Lake Hamilton and Idyl, aquatic vegetation planning for Lake Martha, stormwater improvements to Lake Elbert Trail, street sweeping, green stormwater and infrastructure projects, and further public outreach and education.
City Manager T Michael Stavres commended the city for the overall increase in water quality of its lakes despite the overall increase of development and construction.
“One of the biggest concerns we have when we talk about new development that happens in Winter Haven…negative impact from growth, including degradation of the environmental condition, certainly comes into play; but despite all the growth, we have seen over the past five years in particular, the conditions of our lakes [has] improved, and that speaks, in my opinion, volumes to the work of the natural resource division,” he said.
Commissioner Brad Dantzler inquired about the possibility of adding more lakes to the report. He mentioned lakes like Lake Bess and Myrtle in the southeast portion of the city, as that area is expected to experience a population increase. He asked what was preventing the city from including lakes such as those in the City’s evaluation.
Dustin Everitt, Natural Resources Manager, answered that the issues lay with funding and permitting. He explained that those lakes were private, and unless they had improved public access, they could not be included.
“The public would raise the question of why we are studying a lake that they cannot access,” he explained. “Why are my taxpayer money going to studying a lake I cannot access?”
The Winter Haven City Commission voted unanimously to approve a resolution adopting the Annual Lakes Report. The report can be viewed on the city’s website: https://www.mywinterhaven.com/264/Annual-Lakes-Report
