The Chassahowitzka River is a spring-fed river located in southwestern

Citrus County, Florida Citrus County is a County (United States), county located on the northwest central coast of the State (United States of America), U.S. state of Florida. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 153,843. Its county s ...

. 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 bird species, 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 ...

, and serves as 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 United States to northern Brazil. Living alone or in herds, it ...

. In 1941, approximately of its saltwater 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. The term excludes seawater and brackish water, but it does include non-salty mi ...

tributaries A tributary, or an ''affluent'', is a stream or river that flows into a larger stream ('' 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 into which the ...

, and hardwood hammocks were designated 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, Florida, St. Petersburg. It is famous as the southern wintering sit ...

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

headwater The headwater of a river or stream is the geographical point of its beginning, specifically where surface runoff water begins to accumulate into a flowing channel of water. A river or stream into which one or many tributary rivers or streams flo ...

of the river is Chassahowitzka Spring, a first-magnitude spring 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 upstream from the main vent. Several of these sister springs are interconnected via underwater caves that snorkelers can dive through while holding their breath. However, great care must be taken when diving through these caves, as there have been at least 4 drownings in the underwater tunnels and caves since 1989, the most recent occurring in 2011. Further downstream, similar freshwater tributaries feed into the Chassahowitzka River, some of which mix with salt water as the river weaves its way toward the Gulf. This creates brackish creeks and bays, where it is quite common to catch fish species such as spotted seatrout, redfish, or common snook to name just a few. Other river staples river include striped mullet, 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 ''Callinectes sapidus'' (from the Ancient Greek language, Ancient Greek ,"beautiful" + , "swimmer", and Latin , "savory"), the blue crab, Atlantic blue ...

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 The great blue heron (''Ardea herodias'') is a large wading bird in the heron family Ardeidae, common near the shores of open water and in wetlands over most of North and Central America, as well as far northwestern South America, the Caribbea ...

as well as the occasional large

alligator An alligator, or colloquially gator, is a large reptile in the genus ''Alligator'' of the Family (biology), family Alligatoridae in the Order (biology), order Crocodilia. The two Extant taxon, extant species are the American alligator (''A. mis ...

, 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 recreational 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, 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