BY JENN SAMSEL
Special to the Monitor
Save Our Lakes members gathered for their May meeting on Tuesday, May 13, at the First Baptist Church in Keystone Heights.
President Vivian Katz-James provided updates on the St. Johns River Water Management District’s Black Creek Water Resource Development Project and Clay County’s efforts to remove trees and underbrush from the dry lakebed of Lake Geneva.
She said work on the Black Creek project is now focused on the project’s water treatment facility within Camp Blanding. The facility comprises six cells that filter out the dark tannins from the creek before the water is released into Alligator Creek and onto Lake Brooklyn.
“The first cell is complete, tested, and ready to operate,” she said. “Cell 2 is currently undergoing testing, and Cell 3 is expected to be completed by the end of the month.” All six cells will be fully operational, and everything is set to function by January 2026. Three cells will be in operation at all times.”
The Save Our Lakes president added that the Clay County project has cleared the permitting process.
“We got the permit last April for cutting down the trees for Lake Geneva,” she told her membership. “It had a 21-day public notice period that ended May 1. We are now good to go.”
Currently, a few companies are submitting bids for tree removal. Once the county accepts a company’s proposal, the tree removal will take two to five weeks.
Board member Scott Slater added that the project should begin in July. Surveyors will determine which trees are under the state’s jurisdiction and mark them for removal.
In April, a work party with over 37 volunteers removed 1.5 tons of debris from the area of the county’s Fifth Street Boat Ramp.
Items removed included an engine block, tires, rims, concrete, trash, and plywood, among other various types of material.
