MARION COUNTY, FL (352today.com) – Community leaders from Putnam and Marion counties and members of the media piled on two pontoon boats last Friday to tour the Rodman Reservoir with seasoned Putnam County guide Karen Chadwick and Marion County guide Erika Ritter. The tour showcased the current drawdown of the Ocklawaha River, helping attendees to envision what a restored river might look like.
During drawdown, remnant stumps reveal themselves from the thriving 7500-acre wetland cypress forest that was plowed down by a mechanical “crusher crawler” and other means to make room for the Cross Florida Barge Canal. The canal was halted in 1971. With restoration, the river would revert to its original channel by breaching the Kirkpatrick Dam and the stump graveyard would be replaced by a freshwater marsh, then transformed over time to a mature cypress forest. The area would once again provide natural flood storage, water filtration to the St. Johns River, and fish and wildlife habitat.
Ritter, who grew up on the river, remembers seeing the tragic impact of the “crusher crawler” on the cypress trees that were leveled at the edge of her family’s property and the loss of fish from the blockage caused by the dam. She understands how a natural river compares to the managed reservoir, which requires herbicide spraying and periodic drawdowns to keep fish kills and invasive aquatic weeds in check.
Chadwick, deeply interested in the history of the region, holds up a mounted poster of the historic river. She traces the route the group will take toward historic Orange Springs and back along south of the reservoir where numerous springs once flowed feverishly, like Marion Blue and Catfish springs. Today, the two springs are identified by “boiling” on the top as they try to break through the heavy waters of the Kirkpatrick Dam. Twenty springs of varying sizes are projected to re-emerge with a restored river.
Chadwick and Ritter seldom frequent the reservoir during regular conditions. The stumps located beneath the waters are treacherous to navigate and have damaged both of their boats. They prefer the natural sections of the Ocklawaha and Silver Springs. Erika explained, “One of my tour groups said that they visited the Amazon to see a wild and scenic river and were disappointed. They said the Ocklawaha is just what we wanted.” She added, “There aren’t many rivers in the world as unique and beautiful as the natural Ocklawaha.”
Civic leaders on the boat included Palatka Mayor Robbi Correa, former tax collector and county commissioner Linda Myers, and former Palatka Mayor Vernon Myers. Vernon Myers was surprised to see how the second ramp area at Kenwood Recreation Area, formed after drawdown, was solid and compacted with dozens of boat trailers in place. “Many think that areas like this would be a muddy mess after drawdown. Instead, nature has already transformed this spit into a peninsula suitable for boat launching,” he described.
Mayor Correa, who just helped lead a tourism planning effort with Northeast Florida Regional Council, shared the economic value of diverse tourism that a restored river will bring. Correa said, “Palatka can become an even greater outdoor recreation hub for the state. We can add to our great fishing economy, Trail Town assets and Bartram events and activities.” She added, “We can regain our legacy as the gateway to the Ocklawaha River and Silver Springs.”
The group visited Kirkpatrick Dam after the trip and envisioned how the recreation area might look with added facilities and a free-flowing river. Linda Myers explained that much of the infrastructure would remain–boat ramp, bathrooms, picnic areas. “A section of the earthen dam would be breached west of the spillway. The fishing area would move to that natural river channel,” she said.
“With the community working together and additional state support, the Rodman Recreation Area can be better than it is today.”
Margaret Spontak is president and CEO of Great Florida Riverway Trust. You can find more information on the Rodman Reservoir Drawdown here.