The mission of the Council is to maximize successful restoration of the Harris Chain of Lakes, by ensuring sensible efforts to restore clean water quality, sound environmental policy, ecological diversity, and economic stability, now and into the future.

Specifically:

• To keep the citizens of Florida first, while performing their fiduciary responsibility, and do so with great urgency

• To recommend lasting and viable solutions to the legislature for appropriations of funds and resources.

• To recommend projects that will be selected based on the ability to achieve restoration goals, sound science and prudent restoration philosophy

• To restore the Harris Chain of Lakes water quality to nothing less than pristine is our goal and our mission

• To develop a program for the improvement of the fish and wildlife habitat and natural systems of the Harris Chain of Lakes

• To propose methods of contaminated sediment removal and control nutrient loading to our lakes … To evaluate and identify areas of human health concerns, resulting from the deterioration of our lakes

• To recommend and develop projects that substantially improve the economic benefit to the local communities.

(From Executive Summary, HCRC Report to Legislature 2001)