Continuous Investments in Lake Munson Basin Totaling $290 Million

Over the years, more than $247 million has been spent on 21 capital improvement projects to provide water quality treatment, reduce sediment transport, and collect trash. These include the restoration of Lake Munson, the construction of Lake Henrietta stormwater management facility serving as a filter for Lake Munson, the Gum Swamp Restoration, and the construction of various stormwater facilities.

In addition, there are seven ongoing projects, totaling over $42.5 million, aimed at further enhancing the water quality. These include the Advanced Septic Tank Pilot Project, the Comprehensive Wastewater Treatment Facilities Plan, and the Northeast Lake Munson Septic to Sewer Conversion Project.

In total, the County and its partners have invested more than $290 million in the Lake Munson Basin to improve the Lake's water quality and protect our natural environment.

The County has also implemented 12 Best Management Practices (BMPs) to protect and preserve the water quality. These include wetland preservation, regulations to minimize clearing around lakes, regulations on fertilizer use before storm events, and the prohibition of illicit discharges.

Looking ahead, Leon County plans to continue its efforts with nine future management strategies, projects, and BMPs. These include recurring lake drawdowns, water quality sampling, aerial topographic surveys, and investments in upstream improvements.


Aerial survey of Lake Munson, December 2022	Aerial survey of Lake Munson, April 2023

Engaging the Community

Leon County remains committed to engaging the Lake Munson community. To date, the County has attended 3 community meetings, 4 stakeholder meetings with the Lake Munson Workgroup and other invested community members, quarterly meetings with the County’s Science Advisory Committee and interested citizens, has organized clean-up events at Lake Munson and Lake Henrietta and responded to hundreds of emails to listen to community feedback and keep the community informed about the ongoing efforts at Lake Munson. The number of engagements continues to rise daily as the County aims to maintain the community's involvement and keep them informed about the ongoing efforts at Lake Munson.

Lake Munson Action Plan

Preserving and Protecting Lake Munson's Water Quality Through Comprehensive Planning and Action

For decades, Leon County, the City of Tallahassee, and Blueprint Intergovernmental Agency have devoted extensive resources to improving Lake Munson's water quality. With a combined investment of hundreds of millions of dollars, numerous projects have been completed, with a primary focus on upstream improvements. These efforts have been crucial in enhancing water quality treatment, reducing sediment transport, collecting trash, and ultimately benefiting the overall water quality of Lake Munson.

On October 11, 2022, the Leon County Board of County Commissioners (Board) approved the Lake Munson Action Plan, which includes short- and long-term strategies to continue the restoration and ecological improvement of Lake Munson. On March 21, 2023, a six-month update was provided to the Board and modifications to the Action Plan were approved. The Action Plan is based on industry best practices for lake management with input from State agency partners, professional consultants under contract with the County for environmental and engineering support, and citizen stakeholders. The following is a brief overview of some of the strategies included in the Action Plan.

Lake Munson Drawdown

Started on November 1, 2022, and extending until Spring 2024, the drawdown allows the sediment to dry out, forming a "cap" that reduces nutrients transferring into the lake. Leon County staff and State-agency partners are continuously monitoring the Lake Munson drawdown and evaluating the progress against ecological targets.

Dredging is not viable due to causing more harm than good, including resuspending sediment and contaminants, its harmful effects on the habitat, removal of seed source, and the potential for opening a sinkhole in the Lake.

An Emergency Action Plan is in place for extreme weather events with the potential to create flooding downstream.

Enhanced Monitoring

Through the Leon County Water Quality Monitoring Program, County staff conduct routine quarterly water quality sampling on Leon County lakes and rivers. The Enhanced Monitoring is intended to supplement the County’s quarterly water quality sampling at Lake Munson and Munson Slough and is centered around data analysis and the overall health of the Lake during and in the years after the lake is refilled.

A Drawdown Water Quality Study includes monthly water chemistry sampling in Munson Slough both immediately upstream and downstream the Lake. The testing will continue through the drawdown and the results provide insight into how the Lake is reacting during the drawdown.

An aerial lake bottom survey was collected before the drawdown and continued quarterly during the drawdown. These surveys will provide beneficial information on the amount of compaction of the sediment.

A Post-Drawdown Water Quality Study will begin after the Lake refills. The study includes sampling for the County’s water quality parameters as well as collecting stream flow data upstream of Lake Henrietta and in Munson Slough upstream and downstream the Lake. Samples will be collected monthly for two years after the Lake is refilled and will provide valuable information on the evolution of the Lake as it re-stabilizes after refill and data on the amount of nutrients entering and leaving the Lake.

Lastly, one-time Point-Source Testing for contaminants analyzed the water in Lake Munson and in Munson Slough upstream and downstream of the Lake for contaminants identified in the sediment. The samples validated previous studies that the contaminants are tightly attached to sediment particles and are not contaminating the water.

Long-Term Best Management Practices

The long-term best management practices of the Action Plan include an expanded role for the County in managing Lake Munson with continued coordination with State-agency partners. Leon County is committed to the long-term health of the Lake through the implementation of an invasive exotic vegetation management program to supplement the current State program, an algal bloom management program, and routine periodic drawdowns (every 5-10 years based on the Lake’s health). The County continues to explore innovative methods for lake management. Any opportunities will be presented to Leon County’s Science Advisory Committee and State-agency partners, with new solutions brought to the Board.

Updates on the progress of the drawdown and Action Plan are provided to the Board every six months. The next update will be presented at the September 12, 2023, Board meeting. More information on the Action Plan can be found here.

Investments in Lake Munson

Continuous Investments in Lake Munson Basin Totaling $290 Million

Engaging the Community

Lake Munson Action Plan