# Juniper Lake drawdown



## FishWalton (Jul 22, 2010)

The drawdown of Juniper Lake here in DeFuniak Springs is about over. 
This time it was not lowered nearly as much as it was the last time. Back then it was almost dry except for a small area near the dam.

Residents had hoped FWC would reduce the number of stumps or at least cut most of them off 2 or 3 feet, but it appears that is not going to happen. Also, more trails through the stump field were requested. It isn't over yet but street talk says FWC will not do much more than lower the level to kill shoreline grasses. Also, dock owners can repair their facilities. 

Made a couple of videos today. Wind was really bad and my camera is just a simple digital unit with no stabilation feature.

From the looks of things a small boat could probably be launched at the dam. Also, I'm thinking there should still be a lot of fish in the lake since it was not lowered so drastically. Rumor is FWC will do some restocking later on in the year, but this is not confirmed.


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## SurfRidr (Apr 24, 2012)

I fished King's Lake a few times, but never fished Juniper. Caught a lot of small fish on lightly weighted plastic worms in the grass clumps, never did any good in the standing timber. 

Interesting post, though.. thanks for the info!


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## Realtor (Oct 1, 2007)

some nice looking cover in that lake


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## FishWalton (Jul 22, 2010)

*FWC update on Juniper Lake*

Everyone,

We closed the flow control valve today (January 10th). The water level dropped approximately six feet during the drawdown. Throughout the drawdown period we’ve been contacted by numerous individuals. Stakeholder viewpoints have been diverse, and people wanted to extend the drawdown and people wanted to shorten the drawdown. The FWC decided to adhere to the original timeline (October 2019 to January 2020).

Walton County did perform dam maintenance during the drawdown. Florida DEP and the FWC have almost finalized the Juniper Lake Emergency Action Plan; agencies will coordinate and disseminate the plan when finished. 

We still have intentions to improve and renovate the markers associated with the boating pathways. Plant management biologists will continue to evaluate Juniper Lake and will formulate a suitable herbicide regime. 

As always, if you have any issues please don’t hesitate to contact me. 

Best,
Thomas Olinger
Biological Scientist II
Freshwater Fisheries Management
8384 Fish Hatchery Road
Holt, Florida 32564

Office: 850.957.0003
Cell: 850.596.1374


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## Try'n Hard (Oct 23, 2008)

Camped and fished there as a kid. Had some great times fishing with my Grandmother around Cat island. I wonder if Gantt is coming back up yet?


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