- Lake Jackson is currently in what experts call a dry down.
- According to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection the lake has drained 11 times since June 2021.
- In the video above check out the current state of the lake.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
At full capacity, Lake Jackson looks is full of water, but in its current dry down period, it looks a little different.
Caitlin Snyder, the Lake Jackson Aquatic Preserve Manager said it's nothing to worry about.
"Lake Jackson drains and fills periodically and that's based solely on rainfall and it's been happening for as long as we know in recorded history, but probably much longer than that," said Snyder.
Snyder said the draining of water actually helps ecology in the area. Something that Donald Francis has been tracking. Francis is a bird watcher who visits the lake once a week.
"I think the cycling of the water is good because it allows the lake bed to dry out, promotes vegetative growth, so that when it re-floods it provides habitat for fish," said Francis.
On his trips, he has noticed something different about this dry down.
"The water has been lower for a longer period of time it seems to me this time than it has in times past," said Francis.
However, Snyder promises this time is no different than all the many times before.
"This is a pretty normal event for it to be dry and it's also normal for it to be full," said Snyder.
Experts say you can visit the Lake and walk along the drained sinkhole. However, they said to be careful because the lake bedding is soft. They expect the Porter Hole Sink to refill following the next big rain event.
