Wolf Branch Creek runs brown with construction run-off

Last week the water in Wolf Branch Creek looked like chocolate milk.

Runoff from a nearby construction site polluted the creek, turning the water brownish red, potentially threatening wildlife.

And it wasn’t the first time.

The Lake County Water Authority and St. Johns River Water Management District first received complaints early this month about water turbidity. Runoff was discharging silt into the water, turning it a reddish brown color.

Both agencies visited the creek and traced it back to the Lakes of Mount Dora construction site, where a 950-lot subdivision is being built.

A contractor was excavating storm water ponds and pumped muddy water into a ditch that drains into Wolf Branch Creek, said Ron Hart, water resource program manager with the Lake County Water Authority.

The mud traveled more than 7,213 feet – about 1.37 miles, he said.