Polluted Lake Apopka Seems Poised for Rebirth
The celebrated attempt to restore Lake Apopka that backfired a dozen years ago haunts a new, more-cautious effort now to revive some of the most defiled water in the country.
By the end of next year, those overseeing the giant lake's restoration expect to flood the last of the long-fallow farms along the lake's north shore, transforming them into a vast marsh resembling the area's original, natural environment.
That cropland is still stained with notorious pesticides that in 1998 killed hundreds of pelicans, wading birds and raptors when the flooding was first tried. But this time, anxious scientists have taken steps to prevent the toxic residue from poisoning a wetlands food chain that is expected to burst to life again once the field pumps are turned off and rains inundate the fertile soil....