Myakka River

Estuary at El Jobean

Template: Infobox River / Obsolete

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

Course

The 106 km long river originates in the marshes at Myakka Head on the border between the Hardee and Manatee County and flows southwest through the Manatee, Sarasota and Charlotte County Charlotte Harbor, an estuary of the Gulf of Mexico. The river is fed by numerous creeks and marshes, but the shallow river is valid only in the Sarasota County as notable watercourses. In Sarasota County, it flows through two shallow lakes, the Upper and Lower Myakka Lake. Below the Lower Myakka Lake, the flow is from the Downs ' Dam, landscaped in the 1930s small weir, dammed in order to achieve a uniform water supply for irrigation. The tidal effect on the last 32 km of the river up to the Downs ' Dam, so this part of the river consists of brackish water.

Environment and Conservation

The over 600 km ², according to many sources over 1500 km ² large catchment area is considered to be particularly ecologically valuable. Except for the location, at the mouth of City of North Port and several smaller settlements, the river flows through undeveloped land that is partly used for agriculture, but to a large extent on protected areas such as the Myakka River State Park and 41 -acre Deer Prairie Creek Preserve is one. The river flows through extended dry prairies, Virginiaeichenwälder and marshes that provide habitat for alligators and numerous waterfowl. Because of its ecological importance, presented the House of Representatives from Florida in 1985 the 54 km section of the river in Sarasota County as one of two rivers in the state of Florida as a Wild and Scenic River under protection.

However, the expansion of residential development due to the rapid population growth on the Gulf Coast and the increasing intensification of agriculture in the upper reaches of the river endangering the chastity of the river.