Blackwater River (Florida)

Blackwater River
Blackwater River in Blackwater River State Park
Map of the course of the Blackwater River
Country	United States
State	Florida
Basin features
Main source	0 ft (0 m)
Physical characteristics
Length	56.6 miles (91.1 km)

The Blackwater River of Florida is a 56.6-mile-long (91.1 km) river rising in southern Alabama and flowing through the Florida Panhandle to the Gulf of Mexico. The river enters Florida in Okaloosa County and flows through Santa Rosa County to Blackwater Bay, an arm of Pensacola Bay. The river passes through Blackwater River State Forest and Blackwater River State Park. Milton, the county seat of Santa Rosa County, is located on the river.

The Blackwater's sandy bottom, white beaches and large sandbars contrast with the dark tannic water that gives the river its name. "Blackwater" is a translation of the Choctaw word oka-lusa, which means "water black".

31 miles (50 km) of the river are navigable by canoe, kayak or small boats. This section of the river, from Kennedy Bridge near Munson, Florida to Deaton Bridge in the Blackwater River State Park, is designated a Florida Canoe Trail — part of a statewide system of greenways and trails.

The river's average flow rate is 2 to 3 miles per hour (3.2 to 4.8 km/h), with an average depth of 2.5 feet (0.76 m). Depending on rainfall, water levels can fluctuate rapidly and low-lying areas are seasonally flooded by the river. This floodplain supports a wide variety of flora and fauna.

Aquatic plants include water fern, water lily, coontail, bladderwort and spatterdock. Oak, maple, sycamore, magnolia, holly, tupelo, mountain laurel and azaleas dominate the forest along the river and streams of the floodplain. Carnivorous plants such as parrot pitcher plants, white-top pitcher plants and sundews can also be found. Upland pine forests are mixed with turkey oak, sweetgum, flowering dogwood and persimmon. Open canopy forests combine several types of pine and dense groundcovers that include gallberry, saw palmetto, wild blueberry, wax myrtle and wiregrass. Atlantic white cedars line the river, and one of these was designated a Florida Champion in 1982, the largest of its species.