Lake Hancock Lake Level Modification and Outfall Treatment Projects

Introduction

Over the last 150 years, the cumulative effects of land use changes and water withdrawals have altered the hydrology of the upper Peace River watershed. Agriculture, mining, power generation, public supply, recreation, residential and commercial development, and transportation activities have all contributed to the land use changes and increased water withdrawals.

The Lake Hancock projects are a critical part of meeting minimum flows, improving water quality and protecting estuaries.

These activities have resulted in a significant reduction in the watershed’s ability to store and recharge rainfall, which, in combination with groundwater withdrawals, has resulted in lower local and regional groundwater levels, extended periods of low or nonexistent river flows in the upper Peace River during the dry months, degraded water quality and altered ecosystems.

The Southwest Florida Water Management District is required by state law to develop minimum flows and levels (MFLs) on priority waterbodies and aquifers. A minimum flow or level is the limit at which further withdrawals will cause significant harm to the water resources of the area and the related natural environment. The purpose of the MFLs is to ensure that adequate flows or levels are maintained to protect the state’s water resources. Currently, the upper Peace River from Bartow to Zolfo Springs is not achieving the minimum flows.

The District has developed a recovery strategy for the upper Peace River because the minimum flows for the upper Peace River are not currently being met. The major element of the recovery strategy for the upper Peace River is the implementation of a series of water resource development projects that restore minimum flows.

The Lake Hancock projects are a critical part of the District’s recovery strategy for meeting the minimum flows in the upper Peace River, improving water quality in the Peace River and protecting Charlotte Harbor, an estuary of national significance.

Lake Hancock is a 4,500-acre lake in the headwaters of the Peace River watershed that extends 120 miles downriver to Charlotte Harbor. As part of a the Southern Water Use Caution Area Recovery Strategy, the Lake Hancock projects are two of several planned initiatives that are critical in the District’s objectives of restoring storage, flows, aquifer recharge, water quality and ecosystems in the upper Peace River watershed.

The Lake Hancock projects include the Lake Hancock Lake Level Modification Project and the Lake Hancock Outfall Treatment Project.

The goal of the Lake Level Modification Project is to store water by raising the control elevation of the existing outflow structure on Lake Hancock and to slowly release the water during the dry season to help meet the minimum flow requirements in the upper Peace River between Bartow and Zolfo Springs. The goal of the Outfall Treatment Project is to improve water quality discharging from Lake Hancock to improve water quality throughout the entire Peace River and protect Charlotte Harbor.