Myakka River

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Myakka River
Estuary at El Jobean

Estuary at El Jobean

Data
Water code US :  294096
location Florida (USA)
River system Myakka River
Drain over Charlotte Harbor  → Gulf of Mexico
origin Myakka Head
27 ° 29 ′ 12 ″  N , 82 ° 3 ′ 13 ″  W.
muzzle at El Jobean in Charlotte Harbor Coordinates: 26 ° 54 '52 "  N , 82 ° 9' 51"  W, 26 ° 54 '52 "  N , 82 ° 9' 51"  W.

length 106 km
Catchment area 600 km²
Flowing lakes Upper Myakka Lake and Lower Myakka Lake
Medium-sized cities North Port

The Myakka River is a river in the US state of Florida .

course

The 106 km long river has its source in the marshes at Myakka Head on the border between Hardee and Manatee Counties and flows southwest through Manatee, Sarasota and Charlotte Counties into Charlotte Harbor , an estuary on the Gulf of Mexico . The river is fed by a variety of streams and marshes, but the shallow river is not considered a notable flowing water until Sarasota County. In Sarasota County it flows through two shallow lakes, Upper and Lower Myakka Lake . Below Lower Myakka Lake, the river is dammed by the Downs' Dam , a small weir built in the 1930s, in order to achieve an even flow of water for irrigation. The tides affect the last 20 miles of the river to Downs' Dam, so this part of the river's course is brackish water .

Environment and nature protection

The catchment area of ​​over 600 km², according to some sources over 1500 km², is considered to be particularly ecologically valuable. Apart from the location at the mouth of the city Northport and some smaller settlements of the river flows through undeveloped land that is farmed in part, but to a large extent on protected areas such as the Myakka River State Park and the 41 square kilometers of Deer Prairie Creek Preserve heard . The river flows through vast dry plains, Virginia oak forests and swamps that are home to alligators and numerous waterfowl. Because of its environmental importance, the Florida House of Representatives in 1985 protected the 54 km stretch of river in Sarasota County as one of two rivers in the state as the Florida Wild and Scenic River .

However, the expansion of residential development due to the strong population growth on the Gulf Coast and the increasing intensification of agriculture on the upper reaches of the river endanger the pristine nature of the river.

Web links

Commons : Myakka River  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ myakkariver.net. Retrieved January 3, 2013 .
  2. ↑ USGS: Myakka River. Retrieved January 3, 2013 .
  3. ^ Myakka River: Wild & Scenic Splendor. Retrieved January 2, 2013 .
  4. ^ The Myakka Watershed Initiative. Archived from the original on January 2, 2013 ; Retrieved January 2, 2013 .
  5. ↑ Myakka River - Deer Prairie Creek. Archived from the original on January 21, 2013 ; Retrieved January 2, 2013 .
  6. ^ The Myakka Watershed Initiative. Archived from the original on January 2, 2013 ; Retrieved January 2, 2013 .