KEYSTONE HEIGHTS – In the Etonia Chain, water flows from lakes Lowry, Magnolia and to Brooklyn through Alligator Creek. Then, the water moves through tiny Lake Keystone to reach Lake Geneva, the finish line.

For decades, the water level throughout the Etonia Chain has dropped to historic lows. However, the $100 million Black Creek Water Restoration Project aims to remedy this by supplementing the lakes' lost water with hundreds and thousands of gallons from Black Creek. 

Save Our Lakes Organization, a grassroots organization known for wearing red shirts when advocating for the Etonia Chain, is preparing the community for the highly anticipated influx of fresh, filtered water through Alligator Creek. 

"We're trying to take care of Alligator Creek, the connection between (Lake) Brooklyn and through the city," Vivian Katz-James, President of SOLO, said.

During the City Council meeting on May 6, SOLO presented its plans for The Geneva Project, which would remove the trees and other vegetation that had grown where the shoreline surrounding Lake Geneva had rescinded.

The Geneva Project would remove the organic material surrounding the lake, which will die when the shoreline reaches historic levels.

SOLO Board Member Scott Slater said the timber that will be harvested will recoup the cost of the removal and possibly generate some revenue, which SOLO would like to see be used for the fishing pier. 

Slater said the underbrush and branches would be removed and sold as biomass to a power company in Gainesville. 

Keystone Heights and SOLO have partnered to allocate $25,000 each separately for a fishing pier in Lake Geneva, with the elevated shoreline in mind.

The goal is to have the ribbon cut in time for the city's planned centennial next year.