There has been discussion dating to at least 1968 about ways to improve water quality in Lake Hancock, which covers more than 4,500 acres at the headwaters of the Peace River.
It was polluted for at least a half a century by municipal sewage and private industrial discharges from citrus plants in the Lakeland and Auburndale areas as well as stormwater runoff from as far away as Lake Gibson.
Now a project intended to do something to filter that pollution got approval earlier this month from the Polk County Commission.
The plan involves a $420,000 project to add additional aquatic vegetation along the lake’s eastern shore by next year in hopes the effort will make the lake’s water clarity, which is often measured in inches rather than feet, closer to desirable levels.
The project is jointly funded by the Southwest Florida Water Management District.