Apalachicola Bay, St. Joe Bay, St. Andrew Bay, and Lake Wimico
BAYSAVERS is a 501(c)(3), 100% volunteer organization with no paid director or board. It is a nonpolitical, practical-minded collection of individuals who care deeply about the environmental and economic future of our unique part of Florida, specifically Apalachicola Bay, St. Joseph Bay, St. Andrews Bay and the Lake Wimico ecosystem that connects them.
Our goal is straightforward: to restore, as much as possible, the original hydrology of our part of the panhandle, specifically the natural historic watershed boundary that has existed for the last 2000 years until it was breached by the USACE in the early 1900s with the Gulf Intracoastal Canal (GIWW). This breach of the natural, historic watershed boundary has reversed the flow of the Jackson River, diverting over 10% of the total Apalachicola River Flow AWAY from the oyster beds of Apalachicola Bay and harmfully discharging this river water and sediment into the seagrass beds of St. Joe Bay and St. Andrew Bay. 2.06 BILLION gallons of river water and sediment are diverted AWAY from Apalachicola Bay and harmfully discharged into St. Joe Bay and St. Andrew Bay EACH DAY!
This breach also eliminated the natural function of Lake Wimico and its surrounding marsh and drainage basin, which was to collect, store and filter local rainfall and send it down the Jackson River into Apalachicola Bay. The lake and marsh were drastically drained by the breach and now are a semi brackish conduit for the unnatural northward flow of freshwater and sediment AWAY from Apalachicola Bay.
This natural, historic watershed boundary can be restored using existing technology without interfering with traffic on the GIWW. This would allow continued access via the GIWW but control flow.
BAYSAVERS is actively working with the Army Corps of Engineers and Florida DEP to identify solutions to the problems in the Three Bays and Lake Wimico. The USACE is prepared to move forward with the next step, which is a Feasibility Study. We need your help, support, and involvement to encourage the State of Florida to do the same. Download the Baysavers Fact Sheet and support letters to your State Representative, Senator, and Governor. They need to hear how important this issue is to the people and businesses of the panhandle.
Working with the Corps of Engineers and Florida DEP to find and implement solutions to the ecological problems in Apalachicola Bay, St. Joe Bay, St. Andrew Bay, and Lake Wimico
The ecological problems in the Three Bays and Lake Wimico are directly linked to the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway (GIWW), built and operated by the Army Corps of Engineers. Solving these problems will require a cooperative effort between all the affected and involved parties (the Army Corps of Engineers, the State of Florida, the local water management district, the local counties and cities, and interested nonprofits like BAYSAVERS).
What is BAYSAVERS doing?
To get the process moving forward, BAYSAVERS has worked with the Corps of Engineers Mobile District to submit a preliminary advisory report concerning the Three Bays and Lake Wimico. This USACE report (included in the documents and data section of this website) indicates willingness of the USACE to cooperate with the State to investigate the problems of the loss of freshwater and sediment from Apalachicola Bay and Marsh and the damage done to its complex oyster bar based ecosystem, as well as the increased sedimentation and increased turbidity in St. Joe Bay and St. Andrews Bay causing destruction of the sea-grass based ecosystems and the marine life that depends on them. This study will also address the connected problems associated with saltwater intrusion into the Lake Wimico watershed and the consequent loss of freshwater marshes and related native aquatic grasses and trees and wildlife there. We are working hard to convince the State of Florida that this cooperative feasibility study is the right thing to do for the citizens of Florida, specifically those of us who live in the Panhandle.
What’s next?
A Corps of Engineers/ State of Florida feasibility study is a necessary first step in the process leading to projects and solutions to assist the recovery of the degraded and damaged terrestrial and aquatic habitats of Apalachicola Bay, St. Joseph Bay, St. Andrews Bay, and Lake Wimico. Go to CivilWorksPartnership_Factsheet.pdf for a description of the Corps of Engineers study process.
How long will it take?
Things won’t happen overnight. The problems are complex, there are many stakeholders and interested parties, and formulating projects that address the needs and concerns of all will not be easy, but a collaborative State of Florida/Corps of Engineers study is the best (and only) way to bring all the parties together in a meaningful framework to address the problems and define solutions.
What can you do to help?
We can always use financial help and volunteers to help spread the word. We have specific needs for engineers, graphic artists, public speakers, and many other specific tasks that will be required as we move forward with this project, but you do not need any specific skills to belong to BAYSAVERS! Go to baysaversfl.org/join-us to volunteer or donate.
Solving the problems in the Bays and Lake Wimico Watershed will require a demonstration of broad-based local support to get the study going. We want to demonstrate to the Corps of Engineers and the State of Florida that this is an important issue for us, and we want something done. We want a collaborative Corps of Engineers/ State of Florida Feasibility Study to bring all the stakeholders and interested parties together to restore the Three Bays and Lake Wimico. You can help by sending letters to your elected official.