Contact

Deborah Shelley - Deborah.Shelley@dep.state.fl.us
8300 West State Road 46
Sanford, FL 32771
(407) 330-6727
Office hours: 8:00am-5:30pm (field staff availability varies)

Description of Site

The Wekiva River

The Wekiva River is one of the few remaining near-pristine riverine systems in central Florida. Its headwaters begin at the confluence of Wekiwa Spring Run and Rock Spring Run. The Wekiva is a major tributary of the St. Johns River. Waters forming the upper reaches of the Wekiva River arise from both the Floridan aquifer in the form of clear, natural springs and from drainage of approximately 130 miles of watershed. The Little Wekiva River and Blackwater Creek are two major tributaries of the Wekiva. Blackwater Creek drains an additional 126 square miles of watershed into the lower reaches of the Wekiva, just upstream of the St. Johns River.

An extensive floodplain of hardwood forest, approximately three miles wide in some areas, provides natural habitat for a diverse array of wildlife including several designated as endangered, threatened, or of special concern. The wood stork, an endangered species, nests in cypress trees within the aquatic preserve, and is often observed feeding in certain shallow areas of the river. The little blue heron, tri-colored heron and limpkin, species of special concern, nest and forage along the banks of the Wekiva. Threatened plant species such as the needle palm, butterfly and water orchids, and Florida shield fern, are also found along the Wekiva.

The Wekiva River has been designated an Outstanding Florida Water, a State Canoe Trail, and has recently been added to the federal Wild and Scenic Rivers program.

The St. Johns River

The St. Johns River is unique in that it is one of the few rivers in the world that flows north, and it is the largest river that is entirely within Florida. The river meanders slowly from its headwaters in south Florida, approximately 300 miles to Jacksonville where it enters the Atlantic Ocean. Approximately 20 miles of the St. Johns, from Interstate 4 just west of Sanford north to State Road 44, just west of Deland are designated aquatic preserve. The preserve consists of a diverse assemblage of plant communities such as freshwater marsh, cypress swamp, mixed hardwood swamp and hardwood hammock. The river provides food and habitat for the river otter, alligator, white ibis, great blue heron, and numerous other wading birds. The bald eagle, a threatened species, can often be observed soaring over the aquatic preserve or perched along the banks on a tree limb. A small population of the endangered West Indian manatee lives in the St. Johns River year round. Manatees are often observed during the winter months at their warm water refuge in Blue Spring Run. The importance of this winter habitat was recognized in 1978 by the Manatee Sanctuary Act, which gave legal protection to manatees at Blue Spring and other refuges throughout the state. The sanctuary designation established restricted speed zones in portions of the St. Johns River and prohibited motor boats from Blue Spring Run.

Established

The Wekiva River Aquatic Preserve was established by the Florida Legislature on June 23, 1975 through the Florida Aquatic Preserve Act (Chapter 258.35-258.45, Florida Statutes). In June 1985, the Legislature passed Senate Bill 762, which expanded the boundary of the Wekiva River Aquatic Preserve to include approximately 20 miles of the St. Johns River.

Location

Central Florida – Wekiva River: Orange, Seminole and Lake Counties, upper reaches near Apopka (Wekiwa Springs) and Altamonte Springs (Little Wekiva River), lower reaches west of Sanford; St. Johns River: Seminole, Lake and Volusia Counties, upper reaches of aquatic preserve at Sanford, lower reaches west of Orange City and Deland

Size

Approximately 19,000 acres of submerged land

Watershed

Wekiva/Little Wekiva Basin – approximately 130 square miles
Blackwater Creek Sub-Basin – approximately 126 square miles
Middle St. Johns River Basin

Habitat

The Wekiva and Middle St. Johns Rivers consist of extensive areas of floodplain wetlands, including floodplain marsh, floodplain swamp, blackwater streams, and spring-run streams. Mixed hardwood trees such as tupelo, red maple, water ash, bald cypress, hickory characterize floodplain vegetation, laurel oak, and sweet gum. Other common plant species include wax myrtle, buttonbush, and swamp dogwood. Eelgrass is the dominant submerged vegetation.

Ecological Importance

The Wekiva River watershed with its upland, wetland and riverine habitats provides an important wildlife corridor connecting thousands of acres of publicly owned conservation lands to the Ocala National Forest. The water related resources of the aquatic preserve support an abundance of wildlife. The rivers, tributaries, associated hardwood and cypress swamps, and marshes provide food, shelter and breeding sites for many native species, as well as several designated as endangered, threatened, rare, or of special concern.

Rare / Endangered Species

State listings are taken from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission or as with plants Florida Department of Agriculture. Federal listings are taken from the United States Fish and Wildlife Service. E= Endangered; T= Threatened; T (s/a)= Threatened due to similarity in appearance; SSC= Species of Special Concern; UR= Under review; n/a= information not available or no designation listed;C= Commercially exploited

Geomorphic Features

The springheads at Wekiwa Spring and Rock Springs are two of only a few areas in central Florida where the limestone rock of the Floridan Aquifer can be observed at the surface.

Archaeological Features

The St. Johns / Wekiva area provided abundant natural resources for prehistoric communities. The spring runs, rivers, hardwood hammocks and dense forests offered food, water, shelter and breeding sites for many forms of wildlife and provided excellent plant and animal food for human inhabitants. Evidence of human occupation from the Paleo-Indian period (12,000 B.C.), Archaic period (6,000 B.C. – 1,000 B.C.), Mount Taylor period (4,000B.C. – 2,000 B.C.), St. Johns period (500 B.C.-A.D.1565) has been documented. Remains of Pleistocene megafauna, which are now extinct, have been found at various locations in the preserve.

Uses

Canoeing, fishing, swimming, boating, and wildlife observation are a few of the most popular recreational activities in the aquatic preserve. Commercial activities include canoe and boat rentals, eco-tourism, and eel fishing. A variety of research activities have occurred within the preserve including water quality monitoring, biotic index assessment, algal assessment, fisheries survey, macroinvertebrate assessment, and plant studies. Approximately 80,000 acres of upland and wetlands adjacent to the Wekiva River Aquatic Preserve is in public ownership. Public conservation/recreation lands include Wekiwa Basin GeoPark (Wekiwa Springs State Park, Rock Springs Run State Reserve, Lower Wekiva River State Preserve), Seminole State Forest, Blue Springs State Park, and Hoontoon Island State Park.

Management Status

Designations:

The Wekiva River is designated as an Outstanding Florida Water, State Canoe Trail, "wild river" in the State Scenic and Wild Rivers program, and has recently been added to the federal Wild and Scenic Rivers program. Portions of the St. Johns River, from its confluence with the Wekiva north to State Road 44, are designated as Outstanding Florida Waters. Blue Spring Run is a designated Manatee Sanctuary.

Ownership / Manager:

Title to all submerged lands is vested with the Board of Trustees of the Internal Improvement Trust Fund held in trust for the people of Florida. Managed by staff of the Office of Coastal and Aquatic Managed Areas.

Major management / research / monitoring activities:

Current projects for aquatic preserve staff and/or interns include conducting research on filamentous algae found in the aquatic preserve; exotic plant removal (primarily elephant ear (Colocasia esculentum); mapping black bear roadway mortalities and nuisance bear reports; grant proposals to address growth management issues; and administration of a $44,000 grant for restoration of approximately 60 acres of disturbed aquatic habitat. Staff participates in several environmental fairs such as the Manatee Festival and Tomokafest. Staff participates in various subcommittees of the Wekiva River Basin Ecosystem Working Group. The Aquatic Preserve Manager serves as Chair of the Roadway Sub-committee and is a member of the Land Acquisition Sub-committee. The Land Acquisition team recently submitted an acquisition proposal to purchase an additional 1500 acres of property in the Wekiva Basin.

Management Issues and Threats:

Cumulative impacts related to water quality and quantity and loss of habitat associated with existing and future over-development throughout the basin poses the greatest threat to the Wekiva River Ecosystem. The Wekiva River Protection Act (Chapter 369.301, Florida Statutes) enacted in 1988, addresses the protection of the natural resources of the Wekiva Basin through establishment of the Wekiva River Protection Area. Development activities within the Protection Area must protect listed species habitat, native vegetation, and rural character. The "rural character" of the area, characterized by open space, vast expanses of intact woodlands, low density residential areas, farmlands and agricultural areas has long served to protect habitat and other resources of the Wekiva Basin. Faced with tremendous growth pressures from surrounding urban areas of metropolitan Orlando, Altamonte Springs, Lake Mary and Apopka, the rural character the Wekiva Basin is fast disappearing.

Management Needs:

Limited staffing and funding does not allow adequate time to comprehensively address all aspects of the many complex issues facing the Wekiva / Middle St. Johns area. Immediate needs include additional staff and equipment for exotic plant control, research, and project review.

References