Update on the Little Wekiva River

Although remediation of the Little Wekiva River to remove the voluminous sediment and invasive plants has not yet begun, we continue to work closely with Seminole County and believe the project will begin soon.

A major remediation project - to remove the sediment and invasive plants and restore the river channel to previous dimensions - has been fully permitted by St. Johns River Water Management District and funded by Seminole County and others. Several delays in commencing the work have occurred due to the County needing to engage a second contractor and associated procurement processes, some additional costs, and finding additional neighbors who will allow sediment to be parked in their yards before it is trucked away.

In addition, the federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reached out to require yet another field study and approval because of the federal dollars contributed towards the project. Shannon Wetzel from Seminole County continues to champion overcoming each obstacle and we hugely appreciate her dedication and expertise in moving this forward. The Seminole County Board of County Commissioners approved more than $300,000 in additional funding to cover the increased costs of the project which we also very much appreciate.

In the meantime, the sediment continues to back up further upstream and to divert water from the river channel further upstream. The invasive plants continue to be a big challenge and the County has assured us that regular spraying is commencing.

We will keep you posted and look forward to being able to once again say: “See you on the Little Wekiva!”

Jeanette Schreiber