News Releases

Road, water-flow construction close access to 3 lakes at Tenoroc

News Release

Thursday, October 20, 2011

Media contact: Joy Hill, 352-258-3426

Public access to lakes 2, 3 and 4 at the Tenoroc Fish Management Area (FMA) in Lakeland will temporarily close on Nov. 4. The three FMA lakes and their access roads will remain closed until sometime in 2012, when road improvements and construction of a new water-flow path are completed.

Road closures also affect access to the south boat ramp at Lake 5, but that lake will remain open to anglers through access from the north boat ramp off Tenoroc Mine Road.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission issued an executive order to close portions of the FMA, because there are no options for detours around the construction that would safely allow access to fishing in this un-reclaimed portion of the former phosphate mine.

While temporarily inconvenient, benefits of the "re-plumbing" job to anglers should be noticeable. The new water-control system is part of a plan to improve water quantity and quality in the Upper Saddle Creek Basin, by creating a series of new wetlands interconnected with existing lakes. The system will direct water from the north through the FMA, then into Saddle Creek. Once the work is completed, project personnel will have the ability to manage lake water levels and flows for more effective fishery management, while providing much-needed water downstream during low-flow conditions.

Part of the plan to improve water flow through the eastern portion of the FMA is already complete. A wide variety of wildlife species, including ducks and wading birds, have already populated a new 150-acre wetland where only thick brush and nonnative vegetation used to grow.

The majority of lakes at the FMA remain open to public fishing. Anglers can pick up the required daily use permit at the FMA office on Tenoroc Mine Road.

For more information about fishing at Tenoroc FMA, visit MyFWC.com/Fishing (select "Freshwater").