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Water Authority to take ownership or management of six county conservation properties
Summary
Trustees approved transferring three county properties to the Lake County Water Authority and taking on management of three additional conservation areas and the Blueway trail system; board said it has staff and budget capacity to manage them.
The Lake County Water Authority approved a package of property transfers and management agreements on Feb. 26, 2025, voting to accept ownership and management of Helena Run Preserve, Pasture Reserve and Lady Lake Preserve and to assume management of Lake Norris Conservation Area, Pine Meadows Conservation Area and the county’s Blueway trail system.
Wendy (county staff) presented parcel details: Helena Run Preserve is a roughly 20‑acre shoreline parcel on Lake Harris adjacent to the Helena Run Blueway; Pasture Reserve is a larger mosaic of wetlands and uplands in the Green Swamp currently undergoing restoration and prescribed fire; Lady Lake Preserve contains Lady Lake and associated marshes and has no public access. Staff said Lake Norris (about 3,600 acres), the Pine Meadows Conservation Area (about 770 acres) and the Blueway trail system would remain owned by other agencies (including St. Johns River Water Management District for Lake Norris), but management would transfer to the Water Authority.
Trustees asked whether the authority has sufficient staff and budget to manage the additional parcels. Staff responded that many activities will be contracted (for example, prescribed fire and heavy invasive‑species control) and that the authority’s current budget and staffing model can absorb management responsibilities. “I think it’s a win and I think it’s doable on both sides,” a staff member said.
The motion to approve ownership and management transfers passed by voice vote with no opposing votes recorded. Trustees discussed the properties’ roles in aquifer recharge, habitat, recreation and basin management action plans. The transfers are intended to align property stewardship with the authority’s mission of protecting waterways and wetlands.
