Lake Panasoffkee SWIM Plan - Southwest Florida Water ...

APPENDIX A - Background
Information and Technical
Assessments
This section discusses issues leading
to the need for restoration and
conservation of the lake’s resources
and considers much of the technical
work that has been done on Lake
Panasoffkee. Subjects covered
include the lake’s physical setting
and characteristics, fishery resource,
plant communities, sediment
characteristics, and water quality.
Although considered in some detail,
much more information is contained
in the technical reports referenced.
These reports are available from the
Southwest Florida Water
Management District.
Background Information
Lake Panasoffkee is the largest lake
in Sumter County, with a surface
water area of approximately 4,820
acres, or 7.5 square miles (mi’)
(Figure A-I). The lake is shallowwith
:igure A-I . Location map of Lake Panasoffkee
extensive communities of submersed
and emergent aquatic plants. Most of the watershed and shoreline are undeveloped or rural;
however, a series of residential canals exists along the west side of the lake. The major
source of water to the lake is groundwater discharge and spring flow with surface water
contributions from Shady Brook (also called Panasoffkee Creek), Little Jones Creek, and Big
Jones Creek. The Outlet River, on the lake’s west side, connects Lake Panasoffkee to the
Withlacoochee River and is the lake’s only surface discharge. Lake Panasoffkee has an
elongated basin oriented north to south. It is six miles long and 1.5 miles wide with an
average depth of seven feet and a maximum depth of ten feet at a stage of 40.95 feet (Taylor
1977). The western shore has a distinct boundary, dotted with residences and some fish
camps. The eastern shore transitions from open lake surface to a shallow forested swamp
and remains undeveloped.
A rock spillway was located in the Outlet River at the exit from Lake Panasoffkee, but no
historical records of its purpose or date of construction exist. Greiner (1 978) estimated that
it dated from the 1830s to 1880s based on trends in regional economy, and that it was
intended as a navigational improvement. A District archaeologist concluded that the spillway
was constructed about 1884 to maintain a permanent channel between the Withlacoochee
A-1