The Waccasassa River is a small, isolated river in

Levy County, Florida Levy County ( ) is a County (United States), county located in the North central Florida part of the U.S. state of Florida. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 42,915. Its county seat is Bronson, Florida, Brons ...

, flowing through the Gulf Hammock wetlands and emptying into the

Gulf of Mexico The Gulf of Mexico () is an oceanic basin and a marginal sea of the Atlantic Ocean, mostly surrounded by the North American continent. It is bounded on the northeast, north, and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United States; on the southw ...

. The river is long, and has a

drainage basin A drainage basin is an area of land in which all flowing surface water converges to a single point, such as a river mouth, or flows into another body of water, such as a lake or ocean. A basin is separated from adjacent basins by a perimeter, ...

of . Three-quarters of the river is accessible only by

canoe A canoe is a lightweight, narrow watercraft, water vessel, typically pointed at both ends and open on top, propelled by one or more seated or kneeling paddlers facing the direction of travel and using paddles. In British English, the term ' ...

kayak ] A kayak is a small, narrow human-powered watercraft typically propelled by means of a long, double-bladed paddle. The word ''kayak'' originates from the Inuktitut word '' qajaq'' (). In British English, the kayak is also considered to be ...

. The average flow of the river near the town of Gulf Hammock, Florida, Gulf Hammock during 1964–74 was . Its tributaries include the

Wekiva River The Wekiva River (sometimes spelled Wekiwa, a Creek word meaning "spring of water") is a river in Central Florida, north of Orlando in the United States. It originates in Apopka and joins the St. Johns River, the longest river in the state, ...

and Otter Creek. Cow Creek joins the Waccasassa River just before its mouth opens out into the Gulf. Blue Springs, on the upper reaches of the Waccasassa River near Bronson, accounted for about 2.5 percent of the water flow of the river in 1964–74. The river above Blue Springs does not flow year-round. Wekiva Springs, on the Wekiva River, provided about 16 percent of the water flow of the Waccasassa River in 1964–74. Water flow in the Waccasassa River is affected by tides to above the town of Gulf Hammock. The Waccasassa is one of the most underdeveloped rivers in Florida. For most of its length it is surrounded by state owned or paper company owned land. Paper companies are generally required to leave an unharvested border along navigable waterways. The mouth is protected by the Waccasassa Bay State Preserve Park.

References

Gallery

Image:Florida Waccasassa River bridge01.jpg, Bridge over the river on SR 24, between Bronson and

Cedar Key Cedar Key is a city in Levy County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 census, its population was 687, down from 702 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Gainesville, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area. The Cedar Keys are a cluster of ...

Image:Florida Waccasassa River01.jpg, Image:Florida Waccasassa River02.jpg, Image:Florida Waccasassa River03.jpg, Image:Florida Waccasassa River04.jpg, Bodies of water of Levy County, Florida Rivers of Florida {{Florida-river-stub