Florida’s drought is slamming the Upper Peace River, and things aren’t looking good. Right now, there’s so little rain that about 15 miles of the river are on track to dry up completely. If you drive out to the Peace River in Arcadia, you can actually see the evidence. The riverbanks are bare, huge rocks are sticking out, and sandbars have popped up where water normally flows.
For those familiar with the Peace River Campground, the water usually comes right up to the grass, about two feet higher than it is now. Since the drought, one can drive over dry ground where alligators should be swimming. Canoeing’s nearly impossible, as people have to drag their boats through mud, and even airboats are getting stuck.
The real culprit is the rainfall deficit. Since rainfall fell so far behind, 13 inches less than normal. Everything’s struggling. Grass won’t grow. Farmers must buy extra hay because their pastures are drying out.
This isn’t just a problem for the river. The Southwest Florida Water Management District (SWFMD) just shut down the Lake Hancock water control structure. Normally, that system releases rainwater stored during the wet season, but this year’s been so dry that all the reserves are gone. “This year, with the drought, we depleted our storage in Lake Hancock, so we are no longer able to send any more stored water down to the Upper Peace River,” Randy Smith from the SWFMD explained. “We are really struggling. These drought conditions really, really stress our ability to balance our water needs and the environmental needs.”
If you live anywhere along the river, from Polk County down to Charlotte Harbor, the message is clear: don’t waste water. It’s not just about lawns or gardens. The district has already issued water shortage orders and is leaning on utilities to help.
The last time the SWFMD had to close the flow from Lake Hancock was back in 2017, but that drought was shorter, lasting just a few weeks. This year, with so little rain for so long, the closure came much earlier, and there’s no end in sight. Everyone’s watching the skies, hoping for rain, but for now, every drop counts.
