Lake Clean Up?

[luv2sleep]

Let me start off by saying I am completely clueless about this. I'm in CA. We don't have that many lakes and the ones we have locally are swimmable. I think in other states I've heard this isn't the case. So if it's a completely dumb question forgive my ignorance. Why can't the lakes at WDW be cleaned up to make them swimmable again? Impossible? Too expensive? Not worth it?

 

[erionm]

The big problem with most lakes/ponds in Florida is a "brain-eating amoeba" that lives in warm fresh water.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naegleria_fowleri

 

[Deb & Bill]

We have the amoeba here in Louisiana, too, and a few people have died in the recent year. Our local water systems have gone through a chlorine burn for 60 days to help clean them.

 

[Mousewerks]

The big problem with most lakes/ponds in Florida is a "brain-eating amoeba" that lives in warm fresh water.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naegleria_fowleri

I think I will stay as far away from that water as possible. How is it that other animals live in and around those lakes?

 

[MsTessP]

Along with amoeba, any fresh water lake, river, retention pond, sewer pipe, stream, spring, swimming pool, swampy area, should be treated with some caution since it is possible that an alligator could be present.

 

[StevesBLT]

A bit off-topic, but this story about 3 guys swimming across Bay Lake to explore Discovery Island has always amazed me--I still can't believe they did it!

http://shaneperez.blogspot.com/2009/12/discovery-island.html

 

[disneynutz]

WDW is built around a swamp with all of the nasty things that a swamp has. Maintaining the lakes, ponds, wetlands, canals, and waterways for human use would be very expensive and have little business benefit to Disney.

They do a decent job of controlling the snakes, gators, and other critters.

Bill

 

[luv2sleep]

WDW is built around a swamp with all of the nasty things that a swamp has. Maintaining the lakes, ponds, wetlands, canals, and waterways for human use would be very expensive and have little business benefit to Disney. They do a decent job of controlling the snakes, gators, and other critters. Bill

Swamp land. Got it. Clean up is not possible.

 

[disneynutz]

Swamp land. Got it. Clean up is not possible.

On an added note, many of the buildings and infrastructure at WDW had to be modified due to the "swamp" wet, high water table conditions. Kidani's underground parking is actually on the first floor with the resort buildings on the second and the same with the Magic Kingdom, it is built on the second floor with offices and service areas built under the MK at ground level.

Bill

 

[JimMIA]

Actually, most of the wetlands at WDW are regulated by the South Florida Water Management District (a state agency) because they are within the KOE (Kissimmee-Okeechobee-Everglades) Watershed, which is the critical water source for about half of Florida's population. SFWMD is not going to allow "treatment" of wetlands for human recreation which might have an adverse impact on one of the most critically endangered watersheds on the planet.

On the bright side, you can go to the fake beaches at SAB and swim -- just ignore the duck poop.

 

[daisygirl902]

I've seen two very large gators while riding the monorails at WDW over the years...so no matter how clean they got those lakes I'd never go in them!

 

[disneynutz]

Actually, most of the wetlands at WDW are regulated by the South Florida Water Management District (a state agency) because they are within the KOE (Kissimmee-Okeechobee-Everglades) Watershed, which is the critical water source for about half of Florida's population. SFWMD is not going to allow "treatment" of wetlands for human recreation which might have an adverse impact on one of the most critically endangered watersheds on the planet.

On the bright side, you can go to the fake beaches at SAB and swim -- just ignore the duck poop.

Wasn't duck poop classified under federal law as a protected ecosystem component that isn't allowed to be touched or moved? You don't want the FBI messing up your Disney vacation.

Bill

 

[drusba]

Actually, you were allowed to go in the lakes until about the mid 1990s when they decided to ban doing so. I can remember being in the water from the beaches at FW and Poly.

 

[luv2sleep]

I've seen two very large gators while riding the monorails at WDW over the years...so no matter how clean they got those lakes I'd never go in them!

Oh I'd love to see a pic of that!!!

 

[daisygirl902]

Oh I'd love to see a pic of that!!!

Funny, out of the thousands of pictures I have from our Disney vacations, I didn't capture either of these on film. The monorail is just never a place where I have my camera ready. The first one we saw was just an "average size" gator, and was over ten years ago.

The one we saw just a few years ago (I think it was 2008/2009) seemed HUGE (although I'm from Nova Scotia, so all gators kind of look huge to me).

 

[DebbieB]

Someone in the DVC yahoo group posted that their son in law ran into the lake at BLT to pickup something that blew away from his daughter. I guess he had a cut on his leg and it got infected. He ended up in ICU. So not a good idea to take any chances.

 

[MinnieVanMom]

I bet the bacteria count is off the charts in the lakes. I would never go in them. Yet they offer water skiing and parasailing.

How is that?

 

[PacoDF]

If it is that dangerous, why then the water sports are still operating there? (water skiing, etc...)

http://www.wdwinfo.com/recreation/parasail.htm

 

[drusba]

The bacteria issue is likely mainly bottom based. The problem would exist with people walking on the mucky bottom and kicking up the problem. With water skiing and parasailing you don't have guests disturbing the bottom.

 

[Horace Horsecollar]

That's my understanding too. The mucky bottom is the real problem. If the bottom gets stirred up and the water goes up the nose of someone whose head is in the water, it can be deadly.

Getting a bit of spray in your face while while you're in a boat or on water skis is not a problem.