KEYSTONE HEIGHTS, Fla. (WCJB) – Parts of north central Florida remain in an extreme drought despite recent rainfall, and lake levels in the area continue to decline.
Leaders with Save Our Lakes are hoping a pipeline project will help replenish Lake Brooklyn and Lake Geneva. The Black Creek Aquifer Recharge Pipeline is currently in progress and consists of an 18-foot pipe that will pump water through to a treatment area at Camp Blanding.
Lake deficits and water shortage restrictions
According to the St. Johns River Water Management District, Lake Geneva is in a deficit of 0.15 feet and Lake Brooklyn is in a deficit of 0.7 feet. Both are sand bottom lakes with sinkholes that send water directly into the Upper Floridan Aquifer.
A Phase Three Extreme Water Shortage remains in effect, bringing watering restrictions due to ongoing drought conditions, below-average rainfall, and declining groundwater levels.
Resident reaction
Melrose resident Grady Sims, who has lived in the area since the 1960s, said lake levels fluctuate primarily because of rain — and the lack of it…