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Highlands Today

Safety Is Key To Reopen Lake Denton

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By Jim  Konkoly | Highlands Today

Published: October 6, 2007

SEBRING — The county's closing of public access to Lake Denton in August wasn't the first time government officials declared this crystal clear lake a dangerous place.

The threat of attacks kept Lake Denton off the state's first official map of what would become Highlands County.

John Westcott, the Florida surveyor general, noted that while some lakes in this area (later named Jackson, Sebring, Little Red Water and Letta) were mapped, surveyors had to leave in a hurry before completing their inventory of lands and waters.

"The completion of this township (survey) is prevented by the suspension of work," Westcott wrote in June 1860, "on account of Indian hostilities."
One hundred and forty-seven years later, safety remains the key issue that government is dealing with at Lake Denton.

Highlands County Commissioner Don Bates, the chairman and a non-voting member of the special citizens committee on Lake Denton, brought the 1860 map to Tuesday's second meeting of the committee.
Guaranteeing safety, for lakefront residents and the large crowds of people flocking to the lake on summer weekends, was a major topic of discussion.

The root of the problems at Lake Denton is that it's not only on the map now, but also circled by divers from around the state as a prime dive site. At 65 acres, the lake is small and packed on summer weekends with a "dangerously high density" of divers, swimmers and boats, according to committee member Dave Simpson.

Traffic and pedestrian safety is also a huge concern, with only a two-lane, dead-end, shell road for access to the 40-foot-wide county boat ramp, the only public access to the lake.
"Too many people in too small of a space" is how Paul McGehee, the committee's volunteer facilitator, summed up the situation.

Recommending steps to guarantee safety and reopen public access at Lake Denton remains to be done, but the committee tentatively decided this week on its goal, proposed by Highlands County Sheriff Susan Benton:
"To create a safe recreational area that improves public access and protects private interests and natural resources."

Committee members are expected to vote on that goal at their next meeting, set for 6 p.m. Oct. 18. Before adopting the goal, Bates said, the committee might want to precisely define the types and volume of recreational activities that can be sustained safely on Lake Denton.
One possibility is limiting boating, he said. Options range from banning boats to limiting engine horsepower, allowing only electric motors, and permitting only paddling in canoes or kayaks.
"My job (as chairman) is not to function as a decision maker, but to challenge them (committee members) and try to focus their thoughts," Bates said.

Limiting use of the lake to safe levels was discussed Tuesday. Ideas raised for future discussion include limiting parking and towing illegally parked cars, and initiating a permit or licensing system for lake use.
Action steps to implement the committee's goal must be specific, attainable, measurable, and carry a deadline, Benton said.

"And," the sheriff told the committee, "somebody has to be accountable to make that happen."
Russell Danser, an alternate committee member, suggested that the committee adopt both short-term and long-range goals.
"That's a good idea," Benton said.

One thing is sure: as long as phosphorous pollution remains out of its waters, Lake Denton will remain a favorite site for scuba diving.
Erin McCarta, the county's assistant lakes manager, said the lake's water is loaded with nitrogen, has virtually no phosphorous, is generally free of algae and has a "transparency" of 22 feet, putting it in "the 98th percentile in Florida."

"Basically," she explained, "it's one of the clearest lakes in the state ... Lake Denton is a very unique asset and because of that it's a very popular asset to this county."
Because of its high nitrogen level, McCarta warned, Lake Denton is especially susceptible to severe algae bloom if phosphorous, a common component of lawn fertilizers, is introduced.

"It could turn green overnight" from an algae bloom if phosphorous mixes with the high nitrogen level, she said. Citrus groves in the Lake Denton watershed use nitrogen-based fertilizers with no phosphorous. Residential development, she said, could threaten the lake's outstanding clarity.

Bates said that while restoring safe public access to Lake Denton has challenges, he's confident the committee, which includes divers and lakefront homeowners, can find solutions.
"The committee is working good together, they're listening to each other," he said. "And I think everybody is tired of the controversy, so there is incentive to resolve things and they're willing to work towards a solution."

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