Welcome to Lake Jesup Park!
Lake Jesup Park is adjacent to the Lake Jesup conservation area known as the Marl Bed Flats tract. Other areas include the North Lake Jesup Tract and the East Lake Jesup Tract. The property was purchased for the purpose of preserving significant habitat to aid in the restoration of Lake Jesup. Visitors can explore the various areas of the Lake Jesup Conversation to see the extensive flood plain and the myriad species of wildlife that call the area home. The majority of trails cross floodplain marsh and hydric hammock, where visitors might observe species such as the Anhinga, Bald Eagle, Florida Box Turtle and the American Alligator.
The trails on this property may be seasonally flooded.
Lake Jesup
Lake Jesup is the largest lake in Seminole county and is located along the middle basin of the St. Johns River. The lake encompasses approximately 16,000 acres including open water and floodplain.
Lake Jesup was a popular fishing destination in the early 1900s but by the 1960’s was found to be severely polluted. Construction, wastewater discharge from nearby properties, as well as other poor environmental choices led to significant pollution of the lake.
Lake Jesup has been identified as a hypereutrophic lake, meaning that it has very high nutrient levels. These nutrients, which come from a combination of wastewater and agricultural runoff from nearby farms, led to excessive algal growth. They also helped invasive species such as the water hyacinth to thrive in the lake. Some efforts to clear the waterways killed but did not remove the excess vegetation, leading them to fall to the bottom of the lake creating a thick layer of mucky sediment. As a result of this buildup, the lake’s average depth is only about 6 feet, with the deepest areas being about 10 feet deep.
In the 1990’s, plans to rehabilitate the lake began. The Friends of Lake Jesup and the St. Johns River Water Management District teamed up with the Florida Department of Transportation and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission to accomplish the restoration of the lake.
Recent efforts to improve the water quality include an algal harvesting project that ran from 2021-2022 and proposed project called the “Lake Jesup Nutrient Reduction Project” that began the design process in 2024 and aims to reduce the total nitrogen and total phosphorus concentrations in the lake.
One particularly important step to improving the health of the lake included buying land surrounding the lake in order to revive the natural floodplains. Some areas surrounding the lake which were altered for agriculture with dikes and pumps were returned to their natural state, allowing the wetlands to perform their essential ecological functions.
Floodplains
Floodplains are areas near bodies of water such as rivers, streams, and lakes that are periodically inundated with water.
Floodplains are important for many reasons both ecological and economical. They serve multiple functions, including overflow storage capacity, water quality improvement, ecosystem support, groundwater recharge and agricultural productivity.
Floodwater Storage: The Lake Jesup floodplain acts as natural flood storage during heavy rains and tropical storms, protecting downstream communities from flooding.
Water Quality Improvement: As water spreads across a floodplain, it is naturally filtered by vegetation and soil, removing pollutants and sediment. This helps to maintain and improve water quality in rivers and streams.
Ecosystem Support: The Lake Jesup floodplain is home to a rich diversity of plant and animal life, including alligators, many types of birds and fish, and other wildlife. Each fall when conditions are right, the “swamp sunflower” blooms in the floodplain, turning the area north of the lake into a beautiful sea of yellow.
Groundwater Recharge: The porous soils of Lake Jesup’s floodplains allow water to seep into the ground, replenishing the aquifers that serve as a vital source of drinking water.
Agricultural Productivity: Historically, floodplains have been highly valued for their fertile soils, which are enriched by the deposition of sediment during floods. This has made them ideal locations for agriculture.
Effective floodplain management is vital for creating healthy and resilient communities and ecosystems. Structures built within floodplains are highly at risk for flooding and damage during times of high precipitation, leading to costly repairs and disruptions. This can still be seen around Lake Jesup in properties that are built around the lake in areas without sufficient natural floodplain, especially during hurricaine season. Development in floodplains can also exacerbate downstream flooding by increasing runoff and reducing the permeable surface used to absorb and store water. This in turn leads to greater pollution of the watershed as water collects sediment and pollutants at the surface and carries them into bodies of water instead of being absorbed and filtered through the soil.
The efforts to repair Lake Jesup have made significant improvements to the health of the lake, but there is still a lot to be done.
Keep in mind that depending on the time of year that you visit, parts of the park may be flooded!
To log this cache, please answer the following questions-
1. Take a picture of yourself or something with your geocaching name on it with the lake in the background
2. Estimate the elevation change from GZ to the surface of the water. What does that tell you about recent precipitation?
3. How would you describe the water quality? Do you think current conservation efforts are sufficient to maintain the health of the lake? Why or why not?
4. Why is it important to protect and maintain floodplains?
5. For fun: Did you see any wildlife during your visit?
Sources
https://iere.org/what-are-floodplains/
https://floridaspecifier.com/issues/v46n5/work-continues-in-the-journey-to-restore-lake-jesup/
https://www.sjrwmd.com/lands/recreation/lake-jesup/
https://seminole.wateratlas.usf.edu/upload/documents/jessup.pdf
https://www.sjrwmd.com/projects/lake-jesup-project/