Our State Government is in charge of our water resources. They have the power to issue permits and regulate how we manage and restore our rivers and springs.

For many years along the Rainbow River chemicals have been used to manage the invasion of exotic plants. Spraying herbicides several times a year has been a way to keep Hydrilla, water lettuce and other unwanted plants from taking over and suffocating native eelgrass and other native plants struggling to survive.

As the years have gone by though, it is clear that just spraying herbicides is not sustainable. The river now needs a good cleaning and replanting.

The Rainbow River Restoration Project will utilize the best available science and data to develop a pilot project to restore the lower Rainbow River without using herbicides. The methods utilized are ones that have been in use for over 8 years in Kings Bay and have been utilized throughout the country in the last decade.

We know eelgrass and other native plants grow very well in the Rainbow River. Just look at the upper half and you will see a beautiful, thriving meadow. However, in the lower river it is not thriving and the major difference is muck and sedimentation.

First phosphate mining significantly altered the river, allowing sediments and silt to erode back in smothering native plants. Invasive plants took advantage and took over. The only effective way the state had to combat these plants was to spray with herbicides.

Decades of this caused plant material to fall to the bottom and rot, creating more muck and lower oxygen conditions due to that decomposition process. This then allowed Lyngbya to get established and the cycle keeps continuing with no end in sight.

All of this eroded sediment and organic material has built up in the lower river which has reduced the velocity. Then as the Rainbow River meets the faster moving Withlacoochee that further slows this water and lets any silt and organic material in the water column to settle out at this confluence further piling up the muck.

The restoration plan we propose is simple. As much as improving water quality entering the river is desirable, it cannot address this legacy damage. Our plan will remove all of this muck and transported silt, following the data from the Gulf Archaeology Research Institute as a guide on where these disturbed deposits are.

Then, working closely with all agencies (SWFWMD, the Aquatic Preserve, DEP, and USACE) we will determine which native plants should be planted in the lower river based on historical data and survivability. Our goal is to bring this habitat back to how it was before all these anthropogenic changes took place.

We are starting with a 3.5 acre area in the most critical portion of the Rainbow river. Starting at the 484 bridge will be cleaning the narrow canal that runs along the shore. This will allow us to get a seed bank/nursery established where it is more protected from boat traffic than in the main channel.

From there, the biologists will determine the best plan of action on where to start for the main channel. As we clean more areas, this protected nursery will grow and expand into our cleaned areas, and supplement our plantings which will expedite the restoration process.

This is a long and careful process. It will take a significant effort to design our project, work with the agencies, and obtain our permits. These permits cannot be obtained unless the agencies deem the work necessary, safe, and follow all the mandated guidelines.

An independent senior aquatic biologist has been hired to study the river as well. He will do a pre- and post-restoration study showing the benefit in this project, will measure the amount of legacy nutrients that are removed in the muck, and the amount of oxygen that these new SAV beds will contribute. You can see his work on the Kings Bay Restoration Project’s website under the science tab.

There are countless studies that show that this method is the highly successful. The companies that we work with are extremely well regarded by all the state agencies. Our role as One Rake at a Time is that we are able to seek the funding needed for this crucial work because we are a non-profit.

Funding sources are more widely available to us than to state agencies so that we can move faster and more efficiently as a public-private partnership than waiting for state agencies to act.

But just because we are able to obtain grants does not mean we get a blank check. The funds we obtain are closely monitored by DEP and they are cost-reimbursement grants. Meaning we only get funding AFTER the work is completed to DEP standards.

Our project is taking every possible precaution to do the right thing for the long term health of the river and is being overseen by all the appropriate agencies. We know it works. This method has been used in Kings Bay and the Homosassa River.

I have worked long and hard to leave Florida’s rivers better than I found them for the last 15+ years and I am an example of how local residents can work in partnership with state agencies to effect real change in our communities. I implore you to reach out to us if you have any questions, would like more information, or would like to have myself or my project Manager Michelle come and do a presentation about this restoration project.

Also visit our website OneRakeataTime.org. For more information or to sign up to be on our mailing list and become a friend.

Thank you , Art Jones