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Restoration Can't Wait!
For more than 50 years, The Ocklawaha River (the largest tributary of the St. Johns River) and its springs and wetlands have been impacted by a dam built in Putnam County as part of the failed Cross Florida Barge Canal.
The time has come to finally restore the Ocklawaha River and reunite the Ocklawaha, Silver and St. Johns Rivers! Breaching the dam will reestablish access to essential habitat for manatees, bring back migratory fish populations, reconnect three river ecosystems and historic Silver Springs, and restore a lost riverway for anglers and paddlers from the Ocklawaha to the Atlantic. We have a historic opportunity to restore this Great Florida Riverway once and for all!
Tell Governor Ron DeSantis and your state legislators that you want to see action taken to breach the dam.
Be a Voice for the River
It is critical that the governor take necessary actions to create a free-flowing Ocklawaha River, reuniting the Ocklawaha and St. Johns Rivers and Silver Springs by breaching a section of the Rodman/Kirkpatrick Dam.
Restoration can’t wait.
- The 50+ year-old dam is a potential safety hazard to people, homes and businesses.
- The dam continues to damage water, fish, and wildlife all along the Great Florida Riverway – particularly the lower Ocklawaha and St. Johns Rivers and historic Silver Springs.
- The dam blocks critical springs habitat urgently needed for manatees.
It makes no sense to spend millions to repair or replace a dam and lock that serve no major public purpose. The Rodman Reservoir has been losing visitors for the last decade and is requiring massive herbicide treatments to try to keep the ramps and canal useable.
With ample federal and state funds available this year to achieve the most important restoration project for central and north Florida, this is the year to move this forward.
Contact Governor DeSantis and your state legislators today to let them know that restoration of the Ocklawaha River can’t wait.
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Sorry, we're not targeting any representatives in your district. But, you can still help!
Here's how you can still support our efforts to Reunite the Rivers:
- Share a post from St. Johns Riverkeeper on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter.
- Send this page to your friends and family in Florida so they can write to their state representatives!
Other ways to help!
- Share a post from St. Johns Riverkeeper on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter.
- Send this page to your friends and family in Florida so they can write to the governor!
- Make a gift to the Free the Ocklawaha Campaign so we can continue to raise awareness and take action for this cause.