Fellsmere boat ramp deal sealed for newly named Headwaters Lake, St. Johns water district says

The 10,000-acre, $104 million Fellsmere Water Management Area in western Indian River County received two things Tuesday: a new name and a boat ramp deal.

"Headwaters Lake" will be the official name of the stormwater storage and treatment reservoir that's stocked with nearly 2 million game fish, including bass.

The St. Johns River Water Management District board voted unanimously Tuesday to accept the terms negotiated with developer Fellsmere Joint Venture to exchange deeds, easements and a license for the construction, operation and maintenance of the Headwaters Lake Boat Ramp.

MORE: Fellsmere Water Management Area has no boat ramp for bass fishing

The boat ramp will be located on a five-acre plot the developer owns in the northeastern corner of the reservoir, called Access Point 1. The developer has plans for a nearly 20,000-home adjacent development called Villages of Fellsmere.

The boat ramp will cost about $550,000 and take about a year to complete, said Rob Zammataro, the district's chief of projects and construction. Staff will submit a grant request to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission before the April 3 deadline.

The board urged the staff to finalize the boat ramp agreement at a Feb. 12 meeting.

Mixed reviews

Some outdoorsmen lobbied the district to scrap plans tied to the developer and work independently on a boat ramp and parking lot at the northwest corner, adjacent to the area already providing access to the Stick Marsh.

Duck hunters and freshwater anglers have been awaiting access to the lake by anything larger than a kayak for about 10 years, but some who attended the board meeting were not excited by Tuesday's development.

Sebastian outdoorsman Bill Olexa was the only person during the public comment period to address the district's lake access plan.

"Many of us have been watching with keen interest the development of this lake, and we do have questions on this," he said. "The original agreement has parts in it we do not like."

More: Fellsmere Water Management Area boat ramp should be done in a year, water district says

Olexa said he was frustrated because it did not seem as if the staff gave him straight answers on his questions about a 2007 agreement between the district and developer, namely a paragraph that appears to say the developer can revoke public access.

"It has some limits and some guidance, and we're still working out some of the details," district attorney Bill Abrams told Olexa.

The district and developer are still discussing a few issues and expect several changes to the 2007 agreement, said Abrams, who has been the district's lead negotiator.

Nonexclusive, perpetual access

Olexa told the board he wants to be sure the district is working for the taxpayer and not the private landowner.

"What I'm scared of is that 10 to 15 years down the road, they can pull out this dusty old document and pull the rug out from under the feet of the sportsmen and the people who are paying for this," Olexa said. "They've already gotten $1.4 million of fisheries enhancement, which, by the way, is on the far end of the lake. We're taking taxpayer money and basically rolling the dice on FJV's goodwill."

Abrams later said he is working hard to benefit hunters and anglers, but some items in the 2007 agreement likely will remain, such as a ban on airboats and nighttime access. That could rule out the lake as a destination for the annual fall alligator hunt.

District board member Doug Bournique, who represents the Upper St. Johns River area, reminded everyone the reservoir's original cost-benefit ratio was for the Indian River citrus area to benefit from access to irrigation water.

But its added benefit as a world-class fishery make it a "rock star," Bournique said.

Boat ramp costs breakdown

Boat ramp and dock: $200,000

Paving/signs/markings: $190,000

Site work: $80,000

Restrooms: $70,000

Grades: $10,000

Brown tide

In other news from Tuesday's meeting, Executive Director Ann Shortelle said a brown algae bloom that had been intensifying in the Banana River Lagoon has showed signs of "cooling off" based on a March 9 satellite image.

Many feared there would be another massive fish kill similar to the one which took place there in March 2016.

Shortelle said the district, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and the Department of Environmental Protection were working together to mitigate any damage that may occur from a fish kill, were one to happen.