The Chassahowitzka River is a spring-fed river located in southwestern Citrus County, Florida. The U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline data
The National Map
, accessed April 18, 2011 river is home to hundreds of species of birds including the

bald eagle The bald eagle (''Haliaeetus leucocephalus'') is a bird of prey found in North America. A sea eagle, it has two known subspecies and forms a species pair with the white-tailed eagle (''Haliaeetus albicilla''), which occupies the same niche as ...

, and is a common refuge for the

West Indian manatee The West Indian manatee (''Trichechus manatus''), also known as the North American manatee, is a large, aquatic mammal native to warm coastal areas of the Caribbean, from the eastern US to northern Brazil. Living alone or in herds, it feeds on un ...

. In 1941, approximately of its

saltwater Saline water (more commonly known as salt water) is water that contains a high concentration of dissolved salts (mainly sodium chloride). On the United States Geological Survey (USGS) salinity scale, saline water is saltier than brackish water, ...

creeks,

freshwater Fresh water or freshwater is any naturally occurring liquid or frozen water containing low concentrations of dissolved salts and other total dissolved solids. Although the term specifically excludes seawater and brackish water, it does include ...

tributaries A tributary, or affluent, is a stream or river that flows into a larger stream or main stem (or parent) river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean. Tributaries and the main stem river drain the surrounding drainage b ...

, and hardwood

hammocks A hammock (from Spanish , borrowed from Taíno and Arawak ) is a sling made of fabric, rope, or netting, suspended between two or more points, used for swinging, sleeping, or resting. It normally consists of one or more cloth panels, or a wove ...

were recognized as

Chassahowitzka National Wildlife Refuge The Chassahowitzka National Wildlife Refuge is part of the United States National Wildlife Refuge System, located on the west coast of Florida, about north of St. Petersburg. It is famous as the southern wintering site for the re-introduced eas ...

. It is accessible by boat from a nearby public boat ramp that is located at the campground that also bears its Indian name which means "land of hanging pumpkins;" a reference to a wild variety that once grew along the banks. The

headwater The headwaters of a river or stream is the farthest place in that river or stream from its estuary or downstream confluence with another river, as measured along the course of the river. It is also known as a river's source. Definition The ...

of the river is Chassahowitzka Spring, a first magnitude spring which is visible from the campground dock.
Chassahowitzka River
' Southwest Florida Water Management District. Retrieved on 2010-10-08. A group of smaller sister springs are located in a creek just up from the main vent. Several of these sister springs are connected via underwater caves that snorkelers can dive through while holding their breath. Great care must be taken when diving through these caves, there have been at least 4 drownings in the underwater tunnels and caves since 1989, the most recent being in 2011. Similar freshwater tributaries feed into the Chassahowitzka River further downstream, some of which mix with salt water as the river weaves its way toward the Gulf, creating brackish creeks and bays where it is quite common to catch fish species such as

spotted seatrout ''Cynoscion nebulosus'', the spotted seatrout, also known as speckled trout, is a common estuarine fish found in the southern United States along coasts of Gulf of Mexico and the coastal Atlantic Ocean from Maryland to Florida. While most of thes ...

redfish Redfish is a common name for several species of fish. It is most commonly applied to certain deep-sea rockfish in the genus ''Sebastes'', red drum from the genus '' Sciaenops'' or the reef dwelling snappers in the genus '' Lutjanus''. It is also a ...

, or

common snook The common snook (''Centropomus undecimalis'') is a species of marine fish in the family Centropomidae of the order Perciformes. The common snook is also known as the sergeant fish or robalo. It was originally assigned to the sciaenid genus ...

to name just a few. Other staples of the river include

striped mullet The flathead grey mullet (''Mugil cephalus'') is an important food fish species in the mullet family Mugilidae. It is found in coastal tropical and subtropical waters worldwide. Its length is typically . It is known with numerous English name ...

, which can be seen in schools through the clear water or at times leaping out of the water, and the

blue crab Blue crab may refer to: * Blue Crab 11, an American sailboat design * ''Callinectes sapidus'' – Chesapeake or Atlantic blue crab of the West Atlantic, introduced elsewhere * '' Cardisoma guanhumi'' – blue land crab of the West Atlantic * '' Dis ...

which is often netted or trapped by local fishermen. It is very common to see several species of herons and egrets, including the great blue heron and the occasional large

alligator An alligator is a large reptile in the Crocodilia order in the genus ''Alligator'' of the family Alligatoridae. The two extant species are the American alligator (''A. mississippiensis'') and the Chinese alligator (''A. sinensis''). Additiona ...

, although they are often seen some distance from springs and boats. The river is well known for its navigational hazards, mainly due to large rocks hidden from the sight of fast moving motorboats that venture outside the narrow channel. There are cabins dotted along the outer portion of the river just before "Buzzard Bay," that are privately owned. Dog Island is a recreation area with a restroom and dock located off the main channel just before John's Island and the Gulf.

Gallery

File:Chassahowitzka River 0001.jpg File:Chassahowitzka River 0002.jpg File:Chassahowitzka River.jpg, A friendly

grackle Grackles is the common name of any of 11 passerine birds (10 extant and one extinct) native to North and South America. They belong to various genera in the icterid family. In all the species with this name, adult males have black or mostly blac ...

, on the way to Buzzard Bay File:Chassahowitzka River 02.jpg, Dog Island Recreational Area File:Chassahowitzka River 04.jpg, A view from Tom's Cabin showing a neighboring cabin File:Chassahowitzka River 05.jpg, Sunfish and pilchards inhabiting Beard Creek, a location now well known to weekend canoers, but at one time was less traveled File:Chassahowitzka River 06.jpg, A striped mullet caught by cast netting on the river File:Chassahowitzka River 07.jpg, Manatee speed zones run from the mouth of Buzzard Bay until John's Island during the summer File:Chassahowitzka River 08.jpg, Local boys being pulled behind a well boat near "Baldies" File:Chassahowitzka River 0003.jpg File:Chassahowitzka River 0004.jpg

References

{{authority control Rivers of Florida National Wildlife Refuges in Florida Bodies of water of Citrus County, Florida Outstanding Florida Waters