North Florida river and its seafood endangered

Associated Press
Published Monday, April 08, 2002

CHATTAHOOCHEE -- The Apalachicola River, which cuts through the Panhandle on its way to the Gulf of Mexico where it feeds rich oyster beds, is on a national group's list of the most endangered rivers in the country.

American Rivers cites decades of dredging to keep the river navigable, industrial use and unplanned growth as leading to the north Florida river's troubles.

The river's wind through Florida starts where Alabama, Georgia and Florida come together, at the confluence of the Chattahoochee River and the Flint River at Lake Seminole.

Eventually it dumps into Apalachicola Bay at the bottom of a fertile delta.

American Rivers said the dredging of the river by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is mainly to blame for their naming the river one of the most endangered.

Franklin County Commissioner Jimmy Mosconis said commercial harvesting of oysters, fish and shrimp in Apalachicola Bay, a lifeblood of the little communities on the bay, has been hurt by poor water quality.

"A lot of oyster and seafood producers had a very bad Thanksgiving and Christmas and this county is still feeling these effects every day," said Mosconis, who runs a fishing lodge and marina near Apalachicola.

Upriver from the bay, the Apalachicola's watershed includes swamps that nurture the Tupelo trees that provide the nectar for the area's world-renowned honey.

Sand dug out of the river in the dredging process is piled up alongside the river, blocking river overflow to those swamps, some of which are drying up.

"Our family has been making Tupelo honey there since 1898, and we'll lose that business if we lose the river," said L.L. Lanier, 77, of Wewahitchka. "Do what you can to save that river, because it's worth every dollar and every bit of energy it takes."

Sen. Bob Graham has pushed to stop the dredging of the river, but so far the effort has stalled. Congress did approve some money for removing the sand piles last year, however.

Along with blocking water from getting into creeks, sloughs and swamps, the piles of sand cover fish spawning areas. The largest, known as Sand Mountain, soars 75 feet high just south of Wewahitchka.

Environmentalists say increased runoff from development upriver also is fouling the Apalachicola. The Chattahoochee runs through Atlanta, and its suburban growth is partly blamed for polluting that river, which eventually finds its way to the Apalachicola.

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