The St. Johns River is the longest river in the U.S. state of Florida and its most significant one for commercial and recreational use. At 310 miles long, it flows north and winds through or borders twelve counties. Restoration efforts are underway for the basins around the St. Johns as Florida’s population continues to increase.
About St. Johns River in brief
The St. Johns River is the longest river in the U.S. state of Florida and its most significant one for commercial and recreational use. At 310 miles long, it flows north and winds through or borders twelve counties. Numerous lakes are formed by the river or flow into it, but as a river its widest point is nearly 3 miles across. Restoration efforts are underway for the basins around the St. Johns as Florida’s population continues to increase. The river was named one of 14 American Heritage Rivers in 1998, and was number 6 on a list of America’s Ten Most Endangered Rivers in 2008. In the year 2000, 3.5 million people lived within the various watersheds that feed into the St Johannes River. It is fed primarily by swamps and marshes lying beneath it; water seeps through the sandy soil and collects in a slight valley. Because of this low elevation drop, the river has a long backwater. It ebbs and flows with tides that pass through the barrier islands and up the channel. Uniquely, it shares the same regional terrain as the parallel Kissimmee River, although the Kissim mee flows south. The upper basin measures approximately 2,000 square miles ; the St Johns transforms into a navigable waterway in Brevard County. The St. John’s River is at its narrowest and most unpredictable in this basin. The most efficient way to travel on this part of the river is by airboat. Approximately 3,500 lie within the overall St.
Johns watershed; all are shallow, with maximum depths between 3 and 10 feet. Eight larger lakes lie in the upper basin; one of the first is named Lake Hell ‘n Blazes, referencing oaths yelled by boatmen and fishermen in the early 19th century when trying to navigate through the early century. The first boatmen yelled the oaths when attempting to navigate the early 20th century, which further confuses navigation. The second boatman yelled the word ‘n’ during a trip through the first lake, referencing the oath taken by fishermen in 19th Century. The third boatman said, “Nonsense! Nonsense! There’s no way to get through this lake!” The fourth boatman replied, “It’s not navigable!” The fifth boatman responded, “I’m sorry, but it’s the only way to go.” The fourthboatman said he was going to try and get through the headwaters, an unnavigable marsh in Indian River County, but he was turned back. The fifthboatman then went to the middle basin, where the river flows through the Ten-Mile Ridge Bay Canal. As of 2015, these past diversions are being partially reversed through its first phase of the Canal 1 Red Red Bay project. Because the river’s headwaters are located in the headwater, the upper Basin is located at its southernmost point. The lower basin is located in the head waters of the St.-Johans River at its southmost point, at a point west of Vero Beach.
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This page is based on the article St. Johns River published in Wikipedia (as of Dec. 03, 2020) and was automatically summarized using artificial intelligence.
