Withlacoochee River (Florida)

This article is about the river in central Florida. For the river of the same name in northern Florida and Georgia, see Withlacoochee River (Suwannee River).
Course of the southern Withlacoochee River
Withlacoochee River, looking east in Hernando County, just north of the Pasco County border

The Withlacoochee River or Crooked River is a river in central Florida, in the United States. It originates in the Green Swamp, east of Polk City, flowing west, then north, then northwest and finally west again before emptying into the Gulf of Mexico near Yankeetown. The river is 141 miles (227 km) long[1] and has a drainage basin of 1,170 square miles (3,000 km2).

Along the route of central Florida's Withlacoochee River is the 46-mile-long (74 km) Withlacoochee State Trail, the longest paved rail trail in Florida;[2] the Cypress Lake Preserve, a 324-acre (1.31 km2) park with approximately 600 feet (180 m) of frontage;[3] and Nobleton Wayside Park, a 2-acre (8,100 m2) park in Nobleton that includes a boat ramp, shelter, basketball court, and picnic tables.

The Southwest Florida Water Management District operates a 5,484-acre (2,219 ha) nature preserve and recreational area with 3.7 miles (6.0 km) of frontage on the Withlacoochee River in Citrus County. The property was purchased for $13.5 million in 2005 from the South Florida Council, which had used it as the McGregor Smith Scout Reservation.[4]

The Withlacoochee River flows through Pasco and Hernando counties, and then forms part of the boundary between Hernando County and Sumter County and all of the boundary between Citrus County and Sumter County, between Citrus County and Marion County and between Citrus County and Levy County (including Lake Rousseau). The largest city close to the river is Dade City.

Tsala Apopka Lake is an area composed of a number of lakes, swamps and marshes interspersed with islands located in Citrus County within the bend of the river where it turns from north flowing to west flowing. The area was historically connected to the river by wetlands. Starting in the 1880s, canals were dug connecting the river to various parts of the lake area.[5] The area of Tsala Apopka Lake historically has been known as the "Cove of the Withlacoochee".[6]

  1. ^ U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline data. The National Map, accessed April 18, 2011
  2. ^ Withlacoochee State Trail (Florida Greenways and Trails)
  3. ^ "Hernando Parks".
  4. ^ Amy Wimmer, Schwarb (August 28, 2005). "Scouts sell land to water district". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved June 10, 2020.
  5. ^ "Minimum and Guidance Levels for Tsala Apopka Lake in Citrus County, Florida" (PDF). Southwest Florida Water Management District. p. 5. Archived from the original (PDF) on 30 December 2006. Retrieved 28 April 2012.
  6. ^ Weisman, Brent (March–June 1986). "The Cove of the Withlacoochee: a First Look at the Archaeology of an Interior Florida Wetland". The Florida Anthropologist. 39 (1–2): 4–23. Retrieved 28 April 2012.