Jump to content

Apalachicola River

Coordinates:29°43′27″N84°58′39″W/ 29.7243°N 84.9776°W/29.7243; -84.9776
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Apalachicola River
Map of the Apalachicola River watershed showing the two main tributaries, the Chattahoochee River (left) and the Flint River (right).
Location
CountryUnited States
StateFlorida
Physical characteristics
SourceLake Seminole
• locationChattahoochee, Florida
• coordinates30°42′31″N84°51′50″W/ 30.7086°N 84.8639°W/30.7086; -84.8639
• elevation75 ft (23 m)
MouthGulf of Mexico
• location
Apalachicola, Florida
• coordinates
29°43′27″N84°58′39″W/ 29.7243°N 84.9776°W/29.7243; -84.9776
• elevation
0 ft (0 m)
Length160 miles (260 km)
Basin size19,500 sq mi (50,505 km2)
Discharge
• average19,602 cu ft/s (555.1 m3/s)

TheApalachicola River/æpəlætʃɪˈkoʊlə/is a river, approximately 160 miles (260 km) long, in the state ofFlorida.The river's largewatershed,known as theApalachicola, Chattahoochee and Flint (ACF) River Basin,drains an area of approximately 19,500 square miles (50,500 km2) into theGulf of Mexico.The distance to its farthest head waters (as theChattahoochee River) in northeastGeorgiais approximately 500 miles (800 km). Its name comes fromApalachicola Province,an association of Native American towns located on what is now the Chattahoochee River. The Spanish included what is now called the Chattahoochee River as part of one river, calling all of it from its origins in the southernAppalachianfoothills down to the Gulf of Mexico theApalachicola.[1]

Description[edit]

The river is formed on the state line between Florida and Georgia, near the town ofChattahoochee, Florida,approximately 60 miles (97 km) northeast ofPanama City,by the confluence of theFlintandChattahoocheerivers. The actual confluence is contained within theLake Seminolereservoir formed by theJim Woodruff Dam.It flows generally south through the forests of theFlorida Panhandle,pastBristol.In northernGulf County,it receives theChipola Riverfrom the west. It flows intoApalachicola Bay,an inlet of the Gulf of Mexico, atApalachicola, Florida.The lower 30 mi (48 km) of the river is surrounded by extensiveswampsandwetlands,except at the coast.

The watershed contains nationally significant forests, with some of the highest biological diversity east of theMississippi River[2][3]and rivaling that of theGreat Smoky Mountains.It has significant areas oftemperate deciduous forestas well aslongleaf pinelandscapes andflatwoods.Flooded areas have significant tracts of floodplain forest.[4]All of these southeastern forest types were devastated by logging between 1880 and 1920,[5]and the Apalachicola contains some of the finest remaining examples of old growth forest in the southeast. The endangered tree speciesFlorida torreyaisendemicto the region; it clings to forested slopes and bluffs inTorreya State Parkalong the east bank of the river. The highest point within the watershed isBlood Mountainat 4,458 ft (1,359 m), near the headwaters of the Chattahoochee River.

Where the river enters theGulf of Mexico,it creates a rich array of wetlands varying in salinity. These includetidal marshesandseagrass meadows.Over 230,000 acres (93,000 ha) of this diverse delta complex are included within the Apalachicola National Estuarine Research Reserve.[6]There are also dunes with coastal grasslands and interdunal swales.

View of Apalachicola River atTorreya State Park
View of the Apalachicola River nearFort Gadsden,Florida

The basin of the Apalachicola River is also noted for itsTupelo honey,a high-qualitymonofloral honey,which is produced wherever thetupelotrees bloom in thesoutheastern United States.In a good harvest year, the value of the tupelo honey crop produced by a group of specialized Florida beekeepers approaches $900,000 each spring.[7]

During Florida's British colonial period, the river formed the boundary betweenEast FloridaandWest Florida.Geologically, the river links the coastal plain andGulf Coastwith theAppalachian Mountains.[8]

Some of the remaining important areas of natural habitat along the river includeApalachicola National Forest,Torreya State Park,The Nature ConservancyApalachicola Bluffs and Ravines Preserve,Tates Hell State Forest,and Apalachicola River Wildlife and Environmental Area, as well as the Apalachicola River Water Management Area. It has been suggested that this watershed should be nationally ranked and appreciated as being as significant as theEvergladesor Great Smoky Mountains.[3]To raise awareness about the importance of preserving the natural state of the river and its inhabitants, Florida film producerElam Stoltzfushighlighted this system in a 2006 documentary[9]broadcast on PBS.

The river forms the boundary between the Eastern and Central time zones in Florida, until it reaches theJackson River.Thereafter, the Jackson River, which flows to the Gulf of Mexico, is the time zone boundary.[10]

List of crossings[edit]

Crossing Carries Location Coordinates
Jim Woodruff Dam Chattahoochee
Victory Bridge U.S. 90 Chattahoochee
Rail bridge CSX Transportation Chattahoochee
Dewey M. Johnson Bridge Interstate Highway 10 MariannatoQuincy
Trammell Bridge SR 20 Bristol
Rail bridge Apalachicola Northern Railway Apalachicola
John Gorrie Memorial Bridge U.S. 98U.S. 319 Apalachicola
Interstate 10 WB crossing between Gadsden County and Jackson County

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^Hann, John H. (2006).The Native American World Beyond Apalachee.University Press of Florida. p. 5.ISBN978-0-8130-2982-5.
  2. ^White, P.S.; Wilds, S.P.; Thunhorst, G.A. (1998). "Southeast". In M.J. Mac; P.A. Opler; C.E. Puckett Haecker; P.D. Doran (eds.).Status and Trends of the Nation's Biological Resources.2 volumes. Reston, Virginia: US Department of the Interior, US Geological Survey. pp. 255–314.
  3. ^abKeddy, Paul A. (1 July 2009). "Thinking Big: A Conservation Vision for the Southeastern Coastal Plain of North America".Southeastern Naturalist.8(2): 213–226.doi:10.1656/058.008.0202.S2CID73678050.
  4. ^Messina, M.G.; Conner, W. H., eds. (1998).Southern Forested Wetlands: Ecology and Management.Boca Raton, Florida: Lewis Publishers.
  5. ^Williams, Michael(1989). M. Williams (ed.).The lumberman's assault on the southern forest, 1880–1920.Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press. pp. 238–288.{{cite book}}:|work=ignored (help)
  6. ^"National Estuarine Research Reserves - Apalachicola".floridadep.gov.Office of Resilience and Coastal Protection, Florida Department of Environmental Protection.RetrievedOctober 9,2021.
  7. ^Kimpel, Paul."Gulf County"(PDF).Impact.17(2). University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences: 19. Archived fromthe original(PDF)on March 19, 2009.RetrievedOctober 9,2021.
  8. ^Delcourt, H. R.; Delcourt, P. A. (1991).Quaternary Ecology: A Paleoecological Perspective.London: Chapman and Hall.
  9. ^"Apalachicola River: An American Treasure".apalachicolaamericantreasure.Elam S. Stoltzfus. Archived fromthe originalon August 8, 2007.RetrievedOctober 9,2021.
  10. ^49 C.F.R. § 71.5(f).

Further reading[edit]

  • Boyce, S.G., and W.M. Martin. 1993. The future of the terrestrial communities of the southeastern United States. Pp. 339–366, In W.H. Martin, S.G. Boyce, and A.C. Echternacht (Eds.). Biodiversity of the Southeastern United States, Lowland Terrestrial Communities. Wiley, New York, NY.
  • Light, H.M., M.R. Darst, and J.W. Grubbs. (1998).Aquatic habitats in relation to river flow in the Apalachicola River floodplain, Florida[U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper 1594]. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of the Interior, U.S. Geological Survey.

External links[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related toApalachicola River.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Apalachicola_River&oldid=1222725266"