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Florida spending $7M to clean up Lake Jesup pollution

SEMINOLE COUNTY, Fla. — Florida is spending $7 million to turn a retention pond into Lake Jesup's last defense.

The state wants to prevent pollution from flowing down into the lake from the St. John's River.

About 65,000 pounds of pollution enter the lake every year.

Soldier's Creek is the highway that dumps all the pollution from the west into Lake Jesup.

The contamination will be stopped at a retention pond near US Highway 17-92 and Ronald Reagan Boulevard.

Channel 9's Tim Barber found out it's the first project of its kind in Seminole County.

The pollution will be separated in a pond, so the clean water can keep flowing to Lake Jesup and the St. John's River.

Captain Ron Camillone lives in Sanford. Because he is a Black Hammock fan boat captain, his heart is with Lake Jesup and its wildlife.

"This lake is beautiful, I mean, sure I would love to see it restored, bring it back to its original condition," Camillone said.

The system will use tanks full of alum to separate the muck from the water, a similar process was used at Lake Apopka in Orange County.

Because it's part of the St. John's River, the changes could impact more than just the people and gators who live on Lake Jesup.

The sludge left over in the retention pond will be processed in a wastewater treatment plant, then buried at a landfill.

Camillone hopes it works.

"I think it's a good thing, or these lakes won't be there for our kids," Camillone said.

The project is expected to be finished in July of 2015.