Non-profit devoted to the betterment of Johns Lake
October 14, 2024
Boat Ramp Closed Following Hurricane Milton
Hi Everybody:
I hope that all of our lakefront owners are safe from Hurricane Milton! Our public boat ramp is closed due to high water. According to John Schmidt, the lake has risen 27 inches so far since October 4 and is still rising due to drainage from Black Lake, Lake Tilden, and other sources.
We are approaching the normal high water mark, and the County may close the lake again to protect our docks and boathouses.
May 7, 2024
April 2024 Newsletter
Spring has arrived as witnessed by the change in weather and the
end of the Oak leaves falling. I have recently seen the American
Eagles that nest in Oakland, are back on their nests and the bass
beds are back. And finally, some lakefront owners told me they can
now see the bottom of Johns Lake at the end of their dock for the
first time. These are all great signs that Johns Lake is healthy. Our
water level is currently low (93.99 on 4-1-24) for this time of year
but the good news is rain is forecasted for mid-late May and the
lake level will hopefully rise fairly quickly.
P. S. The lake is expected to be treated for hydrilla late May according
to the FWC’s plans!
April 30, 2024
March 2024: Johns Lake Outfall Canal Evaluation Study
Background
The COUNTY requested the CONSULTANT to evaluate the reported erosion within the Johns Lake Outfall Canal (Motomassic Canal) following Hurricane Ian that impacted Central Florida on September 29, 2022. As a result of the damage, several impacted stakeholders reached out to COUNTY staff seeking additional assistance in developing a long-term plan to address both Capital Improvement Project (CIP) needs and long-term Operation and Maintenance (O&M) needs to improve stormwater management within the Johns Lake Outfall Canal (the Canal). The initial stakeholders seeking additional support from the COUNTY included …
October 29, 2023
October 2023 Newsletter
Newsletter Summary and a Message from the President
It is hard to believe the Holidays are approaching and we are
preparing for the 22nd Holiday Boat Parade on Dec. 12th at 6:15 PM. On behalf of the board,
I would like to thank our sponsors of the parade and we welcome
additional sponsors.
The board continues to communicate with multiple government
agencies to keep the ball rolling for the required maintenance on our
outfall canal. This process is difficult and slow due to the number of
government agencies involved.
We have brought back our Stop Light Program to give you visual
feedback on where we believe we stand on the five quality indicators
that we identified in the past. This is subjective and we realize that
some of these indicators are worse in some parts of the lake than
others, but we try to use “average” ratings.
And finally, some information from the Environmental Protection
Division that describes proper shoreline maintenance critical to the
health of Johns Lake has been included.
JLA is a non-profit organization, funded by lakefront owners, focused
on protecting Johns Lake water quality. JLA’s mission is to preserve
and restore the high-water quality and the traditional character of John’s Lake, watersheds and related natural resources. The long-
term survival of Johns Lake is critical to present and future generations.
In the past the Board collected dues to support our expenses, such
as insurance, website costs, state fees, and more. Since we
converted to paperless Newsletters we have been able to get by for
several years without dues but now the Board’s financial balance is
getting low.
We can be reached at admin@johnslakeflorida.com and
please support our efforts to protect Johns Lake by donating to our
cause by going to the following link. Please Donate.
September 15, 2023
Boat Parade: Save the Date
The Annual Johns Lake Boat Parade will be held on December 10th, 2023.
Stay tuned for details …
August 21, 2023
Johns Lake Update Aug 2023
The county recently did some spot treating for the following invasive plants.
Cuban bulrush is an aggressively growing mat forming invasive plant that outcompetes beneficial native aquatic plants and impairs water quality by reducing oxygen levels near shore areas. Cuban bulrush will be targeted throughout the lake to maintain competitive advantage for the native aquatic plant community.
Water hyacinths are exotic, aquatic plants which clog waterways, making recreational activities difficult or impossible, and choke out beneficial native plants.
Although Johns Lake currently has less hydrilla than normal for this time of the year, there are some areas where the hydrilla is a problem. The County does not normally treat for hydrilla during the Summer since the ideal time is during the Spring and Fall. They will assess our hydrilla situation in the Fall and decide when they will treat Johns Lake next. There is currently no budget for additional grass carp but this could change as it seems the carp that were added last Fall are having a positive impact on decreasing hydrilla.
The northern portion of the Johns Lake Outfall Canal that drains into Lake Apopka has recently been realigned and cleaned out. The canal has also been cleaned out adjacent to Oakland Park. The water is now flowing through the canal into Lake Apopka much faster, but there is still a lot of maintenance to be done. This additional flow will be helpful if we get any hurricanes and/or tropical storms this season. Orange County is studying the situation to determine what, if anything, the County will to support the City of Oakland and other’s efforts.
Please ask your neighbors to go our website at https://johnslakeflorida.com/subscribe-to-our-newsletter/ and submit their email information so we can send them email updates and Newsletters. Also , we deeply appreciate any donations that can be made on our website to support our cause!
Sincerely, Rick StuebingPresident, Johns Lake Association
May 2, 2023
April 2023 Newsletter
[Click here to view the newsletter in PDF format.]
This issue covers the following topics:
Message from the President
Holiday Boat Parade
Scrub Point
Outfall Canal
Lakefront Fertilizer Guide
I hope you enjoy reading the newsletter!
Rick Stuebing
President, Johns Lake Association
March 26, 2023
Outfall Canal Update (March 2023)
The town of Oakland commits to the first steps toward reconstruction of the Johns Lake Outfall Canal.
Below is a summary of an article published by the WEST ORANGE TIMES & OBSERVER (March 22, 2023).
At the Oakland Town Commission meeting on March 14, Assistant Town Manager Jack Butler recommended the commission accept a bid from Solitude Lake Management for a contract price of $103,500 to reconstruct the Johns Lake outflow canal.
The town is committing up to $85,000 to reconstruct the canal and dredge a portion of the south side of Lake Apopka. The balance is expected to be contributed by other entities, including Landeavor, the developer of Oakland Park, and the Southern Oaks Homeowners Association.
Is this the only work needed? “We’re not done when this (initial project) gets done,” Commissioner Mike Satterfield said at the meeting. “We promise you we’re not going to walk away.” Town Manager Steve Koontz added that Orange County has agreed to update its most recent study.
The full article written by Amy Quesinberry can be found here.
This has been an important issue for many years. The former president of the JLA, John Schmidt, has published several informative articles over the past few years, including the JOHNS LAKE OUTFALL STUDY (Oct. 2019), the JOHNS LAKE DRAINAGE STUDY UPDATE (Feb. 2020), and the JOHNS LAKE OUTFALL STUDY UPDATE (Oct. 2020).
October 1, 2022
Hurricane Ian: Lake Level Warning
October 1, 2022
Johns Lake is currently several inches above the normal high water mark which has not happened for many years and it will continue to go up! Black Lake and Lake Tilden drain into our lake and those lakes are currently about a foot and a half higher than our lake. We don’t know how much it will go up but it could go up another foot or more.
There is currently a no wake zone order for the entire lake to protect our docks, boats, and waterfront properties. Please respect this county order!
The public boat ramp will also be closed immediately. Make sure you assess your boathouse and make sure there is room for your boat if the lake goes up a foot or more. If not, please beach, anchor, or put your boat on a trailer. We have already had a hand full of boats float into the ceiling of their boat houses causing boats to sink, swamp, and go upside down. Please do not let this happen to your boat.
This is a very serious situation so please forward this message to your neighbors and let me know if you have any questions. In addition, see Johns Lake Improvement Association on Facebook for more information and to keep up-to-date. Be safe!
Respectfully,
Rick Stuebing, VP Johns Lake Association
Update:
LAKE COUNTY TEMPORARILY CLOSES BOAT RAMPS DUE TO FLOODING
November 1, 2021
Hydrilla and Carp Control Update 11/21
Florida Fish and Wildlife (FWC) is planning to add four hundred (400) carp to Johns Lake in the near future. They typically put carp in the lake every few years. The primary purpose of the carp is to assist with controlling Hydrilla. There is a delicate balance to maintain with the number of carp in the lake. If the population grows too large, they will eat not only the Hydrilla but the important native plants as well, which could negatively impact the eco-system of the lake. FWC monitors the growth of the hydrilla to determine how many carp to add and what frequency to put them in Johns Lake.
There is no way to accurately say exactly how many of the carp stocked in the past are alive because we don’t have accurate numbers for stocking mortality (predation by largemouth bass when they are young, etc.). We are working to get better numbers on the natural grass carp mortality curve. From what some have observed, you start to lose 10-20% per year after age 6 or so. Most do not live past the age 10-12 years old. The maximum length of a grass carp is 4.6 ft (1.4 m), and the maximum weight is 97 pounds (44 kg). Adults look identical to juveniles, and they are not able to reproduce.
