EcoAction Alert

Your calls and emails are needed for Ocklawaha River restoration today!

Release Date: 2022-02-18
Action Deadline: 2022-02-25

We need your help to convince Governor DeSantis that now is the time to restore the Ocklawaha River. Before the 2022 Legislative Session ends, please tell the Governor to put his support behind legislation or a budget item to restore a free-flowing Ocklawaha River by breaching the Kirkpatrick Dam, draining the Rodman Reservoir, and thereby reuniting the Ocklawaha and St. Johns Rivers. 

Restoration can’t wait because: 

  • The dam blocks access to critical springs habitat urgently needed for manatees.
  • 7,500 acres of floodplain forest and 20 springs were drowned by construction of the dam and creation of the reservoir and would be able to recover if the dam is breached.
  • The 50-year-old dam has exceeded its design lifespan and is a safety hazard to people, homes, and businesses.
  • 150 million gallons of additional freshwater would reach the St. Johns River EVERY DAY, improve water quality, and promote recovery of the submerged vegetation that has nearly vanish from much of the river.

We’ve never had a better chance to be victorious in this long-term effort. There is federal funding available to assist dam removal projects. A survey conducted several months ago by the St. Johns River Water Management District found 86 percent of respondents support restoration, with only 6 percent opposed. And just days ago, Florida TaxWatch released a report supporting restoration as the environmentally and fiscally responsible alternative, rather than spending millions to repair, maintain and operate a dam that is ready to fail and will never fulfill the purpose for which it was constructed.

There is no time to waste with the legislative session ending in a couple weeks. Please contact the Governor’s office and tell him you support breaching the Kirkpatrick Dam, and draining the Rodman Reservoir, in order to restore a free-flowing Ocklawaha River.

Governor Ron DeSantis: (850) 717-9337 or GovernorRon.Desantis@eog.myflorida.com

You can find the Florida TaxWatch report here if you’re interested: https://floridataxwatch.org/Research/Full-Library/ArtMID/34407/ArticleID/19140/A-River-No-Longer-Runs-Through-It