Mr.EPCOT
Active Member
Yeah, supposedly Bay Lake was the clincher in Walt's decision to use the area for Walt Disney World.
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River Country Nature Trail to be demolished
- Thread starter Brian_WDW74
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Yeah, supposedly Bay Lake was the clincher in Walt's decision to use the area for Walt Disney World.
The JRT
New Member
I'm guessing what you are talking about is the boat dock for the town of Bay Lake.
:ROFLOL:I was thinking the same thing!! If only it were fairies instead of ferries, then WDW would truly be magical!! :lol:
tahqa
Well-Known Member
Seven Seas Lagoon is man-made, Bay Lake was there when the property was bought (as was Discovery Island). Bay Lake was dredged to clean it up and make it deeper in spots, and that's where all the beach sand came from.
I don't know that I would say Bay Lake is polluted. The coloring is a result of the tannic acid from the surrounding trees.
As for alligators... they're left alone unless they become a nuisance and/or problem.
I don't think there is such a thing as "boat gas" My guess is the ferries use diesel and the other craft probably run on a premium gasoline no different than what you use in your car, and no more polluting. Compared to a lake surrounded by developement and city runoff, I think Bay Lake is much closer to pristine that polluted.
Bay lake and the surrounding canals have a pretty good bass population......which is a pretty good indicator of good water quality.
bobaloo000
New Member
If it is not pollued then why no swimming in it? I think i can remember swimming in it on my honeymoon in 1987.
tahqa
Well-Known Member
There is no swimming because Disney can not guarantee the absence of the amoeba that causes amoebic encephalitis. Which, btw, is almost always fatal. Something like 99% of all freshwater lakes in the US have this amoeba, but it stays in cyst form until the water temp reaches 80 degrees (or so). And we all know that NEVER happens in central Florida, right?
Jeff456
Well-Known Member
I guess it would just be an unnecessary risk for Disney to undertake, if anyone was to get ill or injured in some way by swimming in it, then perhaps disney would leave themselves liable to legal action. I guess it's easier just to tell guests not to swim in it.
unkadug
Follower of "Saget"The Cult
As someone else already pointed out, the reason there is no swimming is because of the presence of Naegleria fowleri, an amoeba (aka "the brain-eating amoeba",) that causes primary amoebic meningoencephalitis.
(Sorry for using wiki as a source, but in this case their information seems relevant.)
cdunbar
Active Member
O cut me some slack, it was saturday morning I'd been up like 30 min, you're lucky that's the only real error I made
Hmm, never knew that thanks for the heads up! :wave:
tnemgif
Well-Known Member
I don't know if I agree with the statement that Bay Lake is 'polluted.' Though the watercraft undeniably have some negative impact on the lake, it seems that Bay Lake supports a thriving ecosystem (alligators included). Environmental welfare is not necessarily related to aesthetic value.
raiden
Member
I believe i've seen pictures of the Magic Kingdom resort area back when it opened and several years after the water was blue. Anyone have pics of Bay Lake/seven seas in the early 70s?
Pluto_is_my_fav
New Member
I am heading down first week in March and was thinking of trying waterskiing. Now i'm hearing about alligators and parasites in Bay Lake. Waterskiing not such a good idea?
SeaCastle
Well-Known Member
I would assume so, since people have been doing likewise for the past 39 years. :lol:
TheBeatles
Well-Known Member
I used to work on Bay Lake. That water is disgusting.
Some people would jump off the Contemporary boat dock and into the water. This always made me cringe.
Some people would jump off the Contemporary boat dock and into the water. This always made me cringe.
tn1999
New Member
There is no swimming because Disney can not guarantee the absence of the amoeba that causes amoebic encephalitis. Which, btw, is almost always fatal. Something like 99% of all freshwater lakes in the US have this amoeba, but it stays in cyst form until the water temp reaches 80 degrees (or so). And we all know that NEVER happens in central Florida, right?
WOW I was wondering how long it would take for someone to mention the amoeba. No one swims in-land bodies of water in Florida because of Amoebas. Not because of alligators, or pollution, or dirty brown water.
Its the Amoebas PEOPLE!
and I guess thats why the honeymooner could swim in Bay Lake in 1987, the amoebas probably hadn't arrived on or planet by then.
Gepettotrevor
Member
Ick, that's good enough reason for me to stay out!
Jimini
New Member
I believe this is the ONLY real reason they don't want people swimming in BL. But this goes for all lakes not just at WDW. :hammer:
:shrug:
Brackish water is water that has more salinity than fresh water, but not as much as seawater. It may result from mixing of seawater with fresh water, as in estuaries, or it may occur in brackish fossil aquifers. The word comes from the Middle Dutch root "brak," meaning "salten" or "salty". Certain human activities can produce brackish water, in particular certain civil engineering projects such as dikes and the flooding of coastal marshland to produce brackish water pools for freshwater prawn farming. Brackish water is also the primary waste product of the salinity gradient power process. Because brackish water is hostile to the growth of most terrestrial plant species, without appropriate management it is damaging to the environment (see article on shrimp farms).
Technically, brackish water contains between 0.5 and 30 grams of salt per litre—more often expressed as 0.5 to 30 parts per thousand (ppt or ‰). Thus, brackish covers a range of salinity regimes and is not considered a precisely defined condition. It is characteristic of many brackish surface waters that their salinity can vary considerably over space and/or time.
jt04
Well-Known Member
Heh, heh, heh. Well done. I get tired of correcting 74's errors so I let this go but you did a great job.
As for others mentioning BL parasites and pollution in BL, neither is a real issues. Disney is just erring on the side of caution. Personally, I wouldn't swim in a Florida lake in the summer. Now folks from other regions don't understand Florida lakes. If it doesn't look like Wakiva springs or the like they assume it's polluted. I'd bet money BL is spring fed but not enough volume to flush the tanin, which is 100% natural by the way. But it would be enough to flush what minor (emphasis on minor) pollution that the recreational watercraft and runoff from area resorts creates. Unfortunately we live in an age when emotions trump reason and folks have surrendered their intellectual capabilities and just plain common sense for the security blanket of group think. It's embarassing.
PS- if someone says something to the effect of not being sure if Bay Lake is "cement lined" or that it is "brackish" :lol:, it really calls into question everything they say. These aren't just "misspeaks".
*end of rant-o-the-day* :wave: