Drought Dries Up Ocheesee Pond, Opens Door for Long-Needed Boat Ramp Repairs

Photo by William Keene

By: Shelia Mader

Ocheesee Pond, a longtime fishing destination near Grand Ridge, has nearly dried up amid ongoing drought conditions, exposing large stretches of ground where water has historically covered the basin.

County officials say the situation is unprecedented. While the spring-fed pond has experienced low water levels during past dry spells, longtime residents and local leaders say they have never seen it this depleted.

“This is about as bad as I’ve ever seen it,” Commissioner Donnie Branch said during Tuesday night’s county commission meeting. “It’s hard to see any water in it, anywhere.”

The pond, which draws anglers from across Jackson County as well as neighboring Alabama and Georgia and beyond, is fed in part by small springs to the north and surrounding groundwater sources. During extended droughts, those springs can slow or temporarily stop flowing as aquifer levels drop. State environmental officials with the Florida Department of Environmental Protection have indicated the water is expected to return once rainfall replenishes the system.

In the meantime, Branch suggested the county take advantage of the rare conditions. With water levels at historic lows, he proposed working with the Tourist Development Council to secure funding from bed tax revenues to repair and improve boat ramps around the pond.

“I don’t know if we’ll ever have another opportunity,” Branch said. “While this thing is dry, let’s see if we can get some funds to upgrade those boat ramps.”

There are three primary access points at Ocheesee Pond, including a main launch at the foot of the pond, a ramp at Sand Basin, and another access point on the north side of that area. At least one of the ramps is concrete, while others are more basic, consisting largely of gravel.

Road and Bridge Director Jeffrey Register told commissioners that some of the ramps will need attention, particularly the gravel ones.

“About two of them need gravel,” Register said. “We could do something with that. I’d have to look at the concrete and see what kind of shape it’s in.”

Register said the department would need to assess the sites but believes the work is feasible. “We can get equipment to it,” he said. “We just have to figure out how.”

Historically, maintenance on the ramps has been limited, in part because they are often submerged and difficult to access. The current conditions, while concerning from an environmental and recreational standpoint, provide a rare window to evaluate and improve infrastructure that is usually underwater.

Ocheesee Pond has long been considered one of the county’s quieter but consistent outdoor attractions, particularly for freshwater fishing. The access point at the foot of the pond is especially popular and has drawn visitors from outside the area for years.

Branch noted that tourism connection as a potential justification for seeking TDC funding. “The foot of the pond brings people from Alabama and Georgia down here,” he said.

Any use of bed tax dollars would need to meet state guidelines, which generally require a clear link to tourism-related benefits.

For now, county staff plans to coordinate a closer look at the ramps and determine what improvements are needed and what they might cost.

Meanwhile, officials remain hopeful that the pond itself will recover. DEP has indicated that once the drought conditions ease and groundwater levels rebound, the springs feeding Ocheesee Pond should resume flow, allowing the water to return.

Until then, what has long been a reliable fishing spot has turned into something few in Jackson County have ever seen, a nearly dry pond, and an unexpected opportunity to fix what lies beneath.