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Home , Caloosahatchee River, Estero Bay (Florida), Estero River (Florida), Imperial River (Florida), Intracoastal Waterway, Kissimmee River

18 History of Southwest Inland Waterways

The region’s dredging history is linked to the recog- Caloosahatchee and nized advantages afforded by shipping local pr oducts to market on inland water ways, as well as by the desire to The earliest dr edging improv ements in the r egion, control flooding with upland drainage. Oftentimes, these which focused on the Caloosahatchee, wer e linked to the two objectives pitted competing and conflicting interest: land drainage schemes of and the Gulf waterway navigation versus land reclamation. As coastal Coast and Okeechobee Land Co. (1881-1888). settlements were established in the late 1800s, local com- These pr ojects w er e designed to dev elop the rich, black munities sought governmental assistance in creating in- muck-lands adjoining O keechobee b y connecting land navigation routes. Prior to the extension of railroads the upper reach of the Caloosahatchee (from Lake Flirt) south of , there was great interest in opening to , and b y r emoving a at Ft. steamboat communication acr oss Florida. Se veral navi- Thompson. A federal navigation project, begun in 1883, gable routes we re investigated: from Jacksonville, via the impr ov ed the do wnstream r each of the riv er b y cr eating a St. John’s River, then by way of Topokalija Lake (now 7-feet-deep b y 100-feet-wide o v er the Gulf bar called ) to Charlotte Harbor; and down at the riv er’s mouth below Punta Rassa and through the the and Caloosahatchee to Ft. Myers. oyster shoals to Ft. Myers. In 1910, this channel was en- With a surge in inter est following the Civil War to larged to a depth of 12 feet and a width of 200 feet. The develop lands adjoining Lake Okeechobee, the great liq- middle reach of the Caloosahatchee, fr om Ft. Myers to uid heart of Florida, private investors, armed with land Ft. Thompson, became federaliz ed in 1887, when the grants from the state to subsidiz e drainage projects, at- Army E ngineers dredged a 4-feet-deep b y 35-feet-wide tempted several canal dredging projects to link the lake channel and remov ed snags and ov erhanging tr ees. In with the Gulf. (These improvements are discussed fur- 1902, the Army E ngineers dredged (4-feet-deep b y 50- ther in the Caloosahatchee chapter.) By and large, how- feet-wide) the O range Riv er (formerly Tw elv e Mile Creek, ever, local settlers sought to improve sheltered water routes 12 miles upstream fr om Ft. My ers), a Caloosahatchee that could provide safe passage for light-draft esselsv within tributary, fr om its mouth to B uckingham. Charlotte Harbor and the lower Caloosahatchee, in Estero The dev elopment-era history of the Caloosahatchee is Ba y, and between Naples and Marco Island. The chro- a record of competing demands for land drainage versus nology of events is summarized in Table 1 and illustrated navigation. By 1883, a steamboat connection had been in Maps 1 and 2. established betw een Ft. My ers and Kissimmee. I n 1902, The hydrographic charts produced by the U.S. Coast during tourist season (January-May), steamers ran daily and Geodetic Survey (Coast Survey), along with U.S. betw een Ft. My ers and Punta G orda. During the remain- Army Corps of Engineers (Army Engineers) reports and der of the y ear, the steamer service was thr ee times per maps to Congress, provide an invaluable baseline of in- w eek. Another steamship line ran occasionally betw een formation on waterway conditions in Ft. My ers and Punta G orda. Two schooners made semi- during the pre- and early development period. cap- monthly trips to Tampa. O ther steamers made trips three tains use Coast Survey charts to navigate and pilot within times a w eek to upriv er points as far as Ft. Thompson, a coastal waters. The reports and maps of the Army Engi- distance of 44 miles. Completion of the North New Riv er neers result from field studies to determine the engineer- (drainage) Canal, linking Lake Okeechobee to the A tlan- ing feasibility and economic justification for water way tic O cean at Ft. Lauderdale, created a de facto Cr oss- improvements. Safety of vessels at sea and commer cial Florida Waterway, but this easternmost route was closed concerns guided expenditures of federal funds for navi- to boat traffic in 1914 because of r ock obstructions gation improvements. The Army Engineers we re respon- and hyacinths. The opening of the West Palm B each sible for surveying and improving waterways judged to (drainage) Canal in 1917 provided a temporary, alter- have national importance through the General Survey Act native boat passage from the to of 1824 and the Riv ers and Harbors Act of 1878. The Florida’s Eastern Seaboard. earliest source charts and maps cover Charlotte Harbor In 1913, Florida G ov. Park Trammel advocated fed- and Pine Island (1863-1879) and the eral dev elopment of a navigable Cr oss-State Waterway in Caloosahatchee (1887-1893). As few coastal settlements southern Florida, but this policy became law only on Aug. existed beyond San Carlos Bay prior to 1900, ther e was 30, 1935, thr ough the Riv ers and H arbors Act. And on little justification in extending compr ehensive charting Mar ch 22, 1937, the C r oss-Florida Waterway, known to the south. The Army Engineers undertook a centerline today as the Okeechobee Waterway, was inaugurated; this survey of in 1908, but the Coast urveyS chart- passage included opening the St. L ucie Canal eastern seg- ing dates from 1970. The earliest charts for the inside ment and dredging a 7-feet-deep Caloosahatchee chan- passage from Naples to Caxambas, based on centerline nel between Ft. My ers and Ft. Thompson. surveys, date from 1930. Historical Synopsis of Waterway Improv ements in Southwest Florida (Volume Two).

Hamilton Disston (Atlantic and Gulf Coast Canal and Okeechobee Land Company): 1881-1888 Caloosahatchee (Upper) removed rock ledge waterfall at Ft. Thompson, straightened (removed bends) in river below Ft. Thompson; and dredged upper reach connecting river to Lake Okeechobee. Federal project: dredged channel from river mouth to Ft. Myers 100-feet-wide 1882 Caloosahatchee (Lower) and 7-feet-deep. Federal project: dredged channel 4-feet-deep and 35-feet-wide, removed snags and 1887 Caloosahatchee (Middle) overhanging trees from Ft. Myers to Ft. Thompson. Federal project established: channel 12-feet-deep and 200-feet-wide from inside Boca 1891 Charlotte Harbor Grande Pass to Punta Gorda. Army Engineers: recommended federal improvements for channel 8-feet-deep and 100-feet- 1900 wide through shoals northeast of Patricio Island and northeast of (not adopted). Federal project established: channel 4-feet-deep and 50-feet-wide from mouth 6 miles 1902 (Twelve Mile Creek) upstream to head of navigation at Buckingham. Army Engineers: recommended federal improvements for channel 5-feet-deep and 60-feet- 1908 Estero Bay wide from Matanzas Pass to mouth of Surveyors Creek () (not adopted). Federal project: modified to widen (200-feet) and deepen (12-feet) channel from bar below 1910 Caloosahatchee (Lower) Punta Rassa to Ft. Myers. North New River Canal: connected Lake Okeechobee to Ft. Lauderdale. (Navigation usage 1912 Cross - Florida Waterway terminated in 1914 due to rock obstructions and hyacinths.) Federal project established: inlet channel through Boca Grande Pass to wharves at south 1912 Boca Grande end of , 24-feet-deep and 300-feet-wide.

1913 Cross - Florida Waterway Gov. Trammel advocated federal government develop navigable Cross - State Waterway.

Smtate of Florida: dredged channel 5-feet-deep and 40-feet-wide fro 1915 Caloosahatchee (Upper) Lake Okeechobee to La Belle.

1917 Cross - Florida Waterway West Palm Beach Canal to Lake Okeechobee: opened to boat traffic.

1.930 Naples Bay - Marco (Inside Passage) Eb.W Crayton: dredged 3-feet-deep y 40-feet-wide inside passage, cut through oyster bars.

Rivers and Harbors Act of Aug. 30, 1935: obligated federal government to build waterway; 1935 Cross - Florida Waterway included St. Lucie Canal and dredging 7-feet-deep, Caloosahatchee channel between Ft. Myers and Ft. Thompson.

1.937 Cross - Florida Waterway Opened March 1937

Board of Engineers for Rivers and Harbors: recommended federal intracoastal project, 1939 Gulf 9-feet-deep and 100-feet-wide, from Caloosahatchee (Ft. Myers) north to (Tarpon Springs); World War II delayed funding until 1945. Federal project: completed 6-feet-deep and 70-feet-wide channel from southern limit 1940 Naples Bay - Marco (Inside Passage) of Naples to landward side of Big Marco Pass, 10 miles.

1945 Naples Bay - Marco (Inside Passage) Federal channel: relocated east of Hurricane Pass (due to storm damage).

1945 Gulf Intracoastal Waterway Congress authorized and funded Gulf Intracoastal Waterway.

Modifying legislation revised cost-sharing arrangement between federal government 1948 Gulf Intracoastal Waterway and local interests. Walter Mack: dredged 4-feet-deep by 50-feet-wide channel from south Estero Bay 1)955 Big Hickory Pass - Wiggins Pass (Inside Passage to the Cocohatchee (Wiggins Pass). ICW: channel dredged 9-feet-deep by 100-feet-wide, began June 1960 at Punta Rassa and 1960-64 Gulf Intracoastal Waterway reached Placida in late 1964. Federal channel construction completed in 1961, 12-feet-deep and 150-feet-wide, from Gulf (San Carlos Bay) to Bowditch Point, and 11-feet-deep and 125-feet-wide (constricted 1960, 1968 Matanzas Pass Channel to 85 feet by existing bridge) from Bowditch Point to Matanzas Pass; 1968 amendment added turning basin. Table 1.

19 20

Jacksonvile

Gilmore's Survey Route (1872)

S

t . J o h n s R iv

e

r

Orlando

Lake Kissimmee Tarpon Topokalija Springs Mulberry K is s Tampa i m

Railroad Bay m

e

e

R

iv e St. Lucie r Canal G u (1937) l f I C Punta Lake W Gorda Okeechobee Boca Charlotte Harbor Grande Cross–Florida West Palm (Okeechobee) Beach Canal Waterway North (1917) (1937) New River Canal (1912) Ft. Lauderdale

Map 1. Surveyed routes and waterways across Florida. Lemon Peace Bay 4 River Punta Lake Placida Gorda Okeechobee Harbor Charlotte Harbor hee River hatc 12 osa 9 alo Gasparilla C Lake Beautiful Flirt 2 Sound 4 Island 1 Ft. Thompson 6 Buckingham 5 8 Pine Island Ft. Myers P Orange River i Patricio n 3 e

Island Is

l and So 12 1 1887 (4 x 35) 6 un 3 2 1881—88 H. Disston Drainage Canal d 12 Punta Rassa 3 1882 Caloosahatchee (7 x 100); San Matanzas Pass Modified 1910 (12 x 200) Blind Carlos 4 1891 Charlotte Harbor (12 x 200) Pass Bay 14 Estero Big Bay 5 1902 Orange River (4 x 50) Hickory 7 6 1900 Proposed Federal Project (8 x 100) Pass 13 Surveyors 7 1908 Proposed Federal Project (5 x 60) Bonita Creek 8 1912 Boca Grande (24 x 300) 9 1915 Caloosahatchee River (5 x 40) Gulf Wiggins Cocohatchee Pass River 10 1930 E.W. Crayton (3 x 40); 1940 of FederalProject (6 x 70) Clam Mexico Pass 11 1945 Realigned to East due to Storm Damage 12 1960—64 Gulf Intracoastal Naples Waterway (9 x 100) Gordon Pass 13 1955 Big Hickory—Wiggins Pass; 10 W. Mack (4 x 50) Inside Passage 14 1960 Matanzas Pass Marco (12 x 150 outer, 11 x 125 inner); Island Hurricane Modified 1968 (11 x 125 turning basin) 5100 5 11 Pass Caxambas Note: (9 x 100) = Channel dredged to 9-foot depth and 100-foot width. Miles Big Marco Pass

MAP 2. Surveyed routes and waterways on the Southwest coast and along the Caloosahatchee River.

21 22 Charlotte Harbor and Pine Island Sound Navigation improvements for a 12-foot-deep by 200- and hazardous for fully loaded cargo v essels during foot-wide channel from inside Boca Grande entrance to “northwester” storms. The Army E ngineers, in 1900, ec-r the wharf at Punta Go rda we re authorized by the federal ommended federal impr ov ements for a channel 8-feet- government in 1891 and completed in 1897, justified “While the P ine Island deep and 100-feet-wide thr ough these shoals, but the principally to accommodate shipments of phosphate impr ov ements wer e not adopted until 1960. No effective C anal apparently was rock from mines in the P eace River Valley. Railroads inside passage, north of Gasparilla Sound to Lemon Bay, built b y the C alusa or brought phosphate to the whar f at Punta Gorda; it was existed in the pre–development era. Most v essels heading their ancestors, its then lightered to vessels lying in Boca Grande anchorage. north from Charlotte H arbor transited Boca G rande to construction could Other cargo shipped to and fr om Charlotte Harbor in- the Gulf of Mexico. have involved the cluded cattle, grain, fish, oysters, lumber, and general labor and knowledge merchandise. of local as well as In 1911, the Charlotte H arbor & Northern Rail- Estero Bay neighboring way — locals called the railway the Cold, H ungry and The region south of San Carlos B ay was “mare incog- peoples…canoe Naked — completed construction of a rail line from the nitum” in the pre-development period. As coastal settle- were parts of a pebble phosphate mines at Mulberry, Fla., to Southwest ments w er e few and far betw een, there was no incentiv e Florida and across Placida Harbor to south Boca Grande. technology that was for the federal gov ernment to conduct bathymetric sur- Storage facilities there could accommodate 23,000 tons v eys and compile charts. Ev entually, when the Army E n- shared b y many of phosphate rock, and a system of belt conveyors moved gineers surv ey ed Ester o Bay in 1908, they could not lo- Florida Indians…the the ore aboard ship at dockside. At that time, Boca Grande cate an inland water route from Matanzas Pass to Naples, narr ow, shallow Pass had a natural depth of 19 feet over the bar. As phos- ev en though the Coast Surv ey chart seemed to indicate channels of Florida phate shipments increased, larger vessels required deeper an interior waterway as far south as Clam P ass. At the Indian canoe canals water when loaded. Initially, vessels were partially loaded time, ther e w ere three very small gasoline freight launches reflect the character of at the South Boca Grande terminal and completed load- running betw een Ft. My ers and the Ester o River, one twice Florida In dian ing from towed out beyond the channel shoal.This w eekly and two three-times weekly. Also, a mail steamer watercraft…narrow, system proved hazardous, and in 1912, the federal go v- provided service fr om Ft. My ers to Carlos. As many as 36 keel-less, shallow ernment adopted a pr oject to dredge a 24-foot-deep b y fishing smacks w e r e counted on the bay during the fish- draft boats…their 300-foot-wide channel from the Gulf to the south Boca ing season, when one carload of fish could be taken every Grande terminal. average width was two days to Punta Gorda for shipment b y railr oad. The The inside passage west of Pine Island, between Char- Army Engineers recommended dredging a 5-foot-deep appr oximately…16 lotte Harbor and San Carlos Bay, was an important thor- by 60-foot-wide channel fr om the mouth of Matanzas inches…the draft of oughfare during the early development era of Southwest Pass to Surv ey or’s C reek (Imperial Riv er) in 1908. While such canoes was Florida. Steamers, like the Plant Steamship Company ’s this pr oposed pr oject was not implemented, federal au- apparently ar ound 15 Saint Lucie and the Lawrence, plied between Punta Gord a thorization was receiv ed in 1960, and amended in 1968, cm (6 inches) or and Ft. Myers, shipping southbound grain, general mer- for impr oving the Matanzas Pass Channel from the Gulf less…The Pine Island chandise, and crate material, while returning north mostly to a turning basin off San Carlos Island. In 1955, private C anal cr ossed the with oranges, grapefruit, and early vegetables. Two shoals, developer Walter Mack, with contributions fr om the width of Pine Island less than 5 feet deep and 600 feet long, were situated along Bonita (town) Chamber of Commerce, dr edged a chan- and is believed this route: one off Patricio Island at the north end of Pine nel, 4-feet-deep by 50-feet-wide, from B ig Hickory Pass to have facilitated Island and the other near the southern end of Pine Island south to the Cocohatchee, thereby providing boat access opposite Blind Pass. These obstructions were in constricted canoe travel between betw een Estero Bay and Wiggins Pass. segments of the channel, which made passage difficult Pine Island Sound and Matlacha Pass…E ach end of the P i ne Island C a nal was at sea level. In betw een, the canal traversed land reaching a maximum elevation of 3.7–4.0 m (12–13 ft) above mean sea level near the center of the island… the evidence supports the interpretation that the Pine Island C anal functioned b y using gr ound water in a contr olled channel.

Dredge cr ew, cir ca 1900. It is hypothesized the canal held a series of stepped impoundments b y taking advantage of Naples and Marco Island Gulf Intracoastal Waterway P i ne Island’s poorly Naples constructed a pier in 1889 to accommodate The U.S. Board of Engineers for Rivers and Harbors drained soils and steamship fr eight and passengers. Further impr ov ements recogniz ed in 1939 the need to a commer cial water shallow fluctuating to waterway access to Naples w ere made in the 1930s by thoroughfare for passengers, goods, and services and r ec- water table…the P ine a local entrepreneur E. W. Crayton, who dr edged and ommended cr eation of the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway, a Island C a nal was not maintained cuts with depths from 3 to 8 feet and widths 9-foot-deep b y 100-foot-wide channel stretching from the completely straight… of 30 to 50 feet in the reach fr om Naples to Big Mar co mouth of the Caloosahatchee to Lemon Bay and bey ond stretches curved or Pass. In 1940, the federal gov ernment assumed the pr oject, (to Tarpon Springs). Federal funds, how ev er, w ere not authoriz ed until 1945. Dredging began fr om the south angled from one side which pr ovides for an interior channel (6 feet deep and 70 feet wide) fr om the southern limit of the town of Naples end in June 1960 and r eached northern G asparilla Sound to another…in to the landward side of Big Mar co Pass. The waterway by late 1964. response to topographic fr om Naples to Big Mar co Pass is 14 miles long; local This federal project r equir ed a local sponsor to assist features and allowed interests maintain the northerly four miles. The hurri- with funding channel maintenance, once the initial dredg- the canal to remain cane of O ctober 1944 breached the barrier beach north ing had created the waterway. In 1947, the Florida Legis- level or to have a very of Big Marco Pass and sev er ely shoaled the federal lature created the West Coast Inland Navigation District gentle slope, thus channel. The shoal was dredged in 1945 and the chan- (WCIND) as a special taxing authority for this purpose. helping the canal nel was relocated east of Hurricane Pass. The WCIND originally encompassed the counties of Lee, to hold water.” Charlotte, Sarasota, , and Pinellas, but Pinellas withdrew fr om the district in the 1970s. The district’s —G eorge M. mandate in time broadened to include other water way L uer and management functions, such as dealing with anchorages, Ryan J. Wheeler, boat traffic, inlets, and beaches. “How the Pine Island Canal Worked: Topogra- phy, Hy draulics, and Engineering,”

—The Florida Anthr opologist, Vol. 50, No. 3, September 1997.

Dredge Stribly, 1926.

23 24 Contemporary Conditions

Today’s system of arterial and secondary (access) chan- miles south is Matanzas Pass, the northern terminus of nels provides boaters with unparalleled oppor tunities to the route through Estero Bay to Wiggins Pass, utilized by transit the inland water ways of Southwest Florida. Key shallow draft vessels en route to destinations south. Ves- elements are: the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway, connecting sels must leave the inland waterway route at Wiggins Pass Southwest Florida north to Tampa Bay and to coastal des- and transit along the Gulf shore 14 miles to Gordon Pass. tinations in Alabama, , and ; and the At that point, boats enter the inside passage linking Naples Okeechobee Waterway, providing a link across Florida to with Marco Island. Such a boating infrastructure was un- the U.S. Eastern Seaboard. These primary arteries inter- imaginable a century ago. connect at the mouth of the Caloosahatchee. A short four

View w est-northw est fr om Punta Rassa, Connie Mack Island at bottom of photo, with causeway leading to Sanibel Island in midgr ound, Miserable Mile ‘1’ of ICW appears as dredged cut with conical spoil islands on both sides of channel, leading to St. James City (Pine Island) and San Carlos B ay.

G o rdon Pa ss jetties, looking north, Port Royal canal development in midground with the Naples downto wn skyline on the horizon to the left. References (in chronological order)

Published Reports

N.a. 1890, Impr ov ement of Caloosahatchee Riv er, ______, 1913, “Reports on Preliminary E xami- Florida, U.S. Army Corps of E ngineers, file copy, No. nation of Lemon Bay, Fla., to G asparilla Sound, ” 63rd 1155, 2, pp. 103-109, Federal Records Center, South- Congr ess, 1st Session, D oc. No. 247, 7 pp. east Region (A tlanta). ______, 1919, “Reports on Preliminary E xami- U.S. House of Representativ es, 1897, “Report of Ex- nation and Surv ey of Charlotte Harbor, Fla., With a View amination of the Inside Passage Fr om Punta Rasa to Char- to Securing a Channel of Increased D epth Fr om the Gulf lotte Harbor, Florida,” 54th Congress, 2nd Session, Doc. of Mexico To the To wn of Boca Grande,” 66th Congr ess, No. 246, 3 pp. 1st Session, D oc. No. 113, 13 pp.; map (1:16,000) Pre- liminary Examination, Charlotte H arbor, Florida; map ______, 1899, “Report of E xamination of Boca (1:800,000), Vicinity Sketch. Grande and Charlotte H arbor, Florida,” 56th Congress, 1st Session, Doc. No. 76, 7 pp.; 1 map (1:15,000, ap- ______, 1939, “Examination and Surv ey O f, and pro ximate), Boca Grande, or Main Entrance, Charlotte Review of Reports On, Intracoastal Waterway fr om Harbor, Florida. Caloosahatchee Riv er to W ithlocoochee Riv er, Fla.,” 76th Congress, 1st Session, Doc. No. 371, 27 pp.; one index ______, 1900, “R eports of E xamination and map (1:250,000), Surv ey Intracoastal Waterway, Surv ey of Inside Passage Fr om Punta Rasa to Charlotte Caloosahatchee Riv er to W ithlocoochee Riv er, Florida Harbor, Florida,” 56th Congress, 1st S ession, Doc. No. (Index Sheet); 24 pr oject maps (1:20,000); fiv e pr ofile 286, 9 pp.; map (1:60,000), Map of Inside Passage from sheets (1:10,000 h.i., 1:100 v.i.). Punta Rassa to Charlotte H arbor, Pine Island Sound, Florida. ______, 1959, “Gulf Coast Shrimp Boat H ar- bors, Florida,” 86th Congress, 1st Session, Doc. No. 183, ______, 1902, “I mprovement of Rivers and 35 pp.; map (1:30,000, appro ximate), Naples Area. Harbors on the West Coast of Florida, South of and In- cluding Suwanee Riv er,” 57th Congr ess, 2nd Session, U.S. Senate, 1882, “Surv ey for O pening of Steam- D oc. No. 6, Appendix Q, pp. 1217-1237. boat Communication Fr om the Saint John’s Riv er, Florida, By Way of Topokalija Lake, to Charlotte Harbor or Pease ______, 1903, “Report of Examination of Char- C reek,” 47th Congr ess, 1st Session, E x. Doc. No. 189, lotte Harbor, Florida,” 58th Congress, 2nd Session, Doc. 26 pp.; 2 maps including a topographic pr ofile of the No. 181, 6 pp. surv ey route.

______, 1903, “Report of E xamination of Estero Alperin, L.M., 1983, “History Of the Gulf Intracoastal C reek or Riv er, Florida,” 58th Congress, 2nd Session, Waterway,” Navigation History, National Waterways D oc. No. 175, 4 pp. Study NWS-83-9, U.S. Army Engineer Water Resour ces Support Center, Institute for Water Resources, U.S. Gov- ______, 1903, “R eport of E xamination of ernment Printing, Office, Washington, D.C. G asparilla Sound and Lemon B ay, Florida, 58th Con- gr ess, 2nd Session, Doc. No. 191, 5 pp. Unpublished Reports ______, 1905, “R eport of E xamination of Caloosahatchee Riv er, Florida,” 59th Congr ess, 1st Ses- W. D exter B ender & Associates, 1994, Dredging Fea- sion, D oc. No. 180, 6 pp. sibility Study: Big Hickory Pass and I nterior Waters, re- port to Lee County Division of Natural Resour ces Man- ______, 1907, “R eport of E xamination of agement, Ft. My ers, Florida. Caloosahatchee and Orange Rivers, Florida,” 60th Con- gr ess, 1st Session, Doc. No. 347, 7 pp. Books

______, 1908, “Reports of Examination and Sur- Grismer, K.H., 1949,The Story of Fort My ers: The H is- v ey of Ester o B ay, Florida,” 60th Congress, 2nd Session, tory of the Land of the C aloosahatchee and Southwest Florida, D oc. No. 1189, 9 pp.; map, 2 sheets (1:10,000, appro xi- St. Petersburg Printing Company, Florida. mate), Ester o B a y, Florida. H anna, A.J., and K.A. H anna, 1948,Lake Okeechobee: ______, 1912, “R eports on Examination and Wellspring of the , 1st edition, The Bobbs-Merrill Surv ey of Charlotte H arbor, Fla., W ith a View to Secur- Company, I ndianapolis, New York. ing a Channel of Incr eased D epth Fr om the G ulf of Mexico to Punta Gorda, ” 62nd Congress, 2nd Ses- Tebeau, C. W., 1957,Florida’s Last Fr ontier: The His- sion, Doc. No. 699, 11 pp.; map (1:20,000 appro xi- tory of County, University of Pr ess, Miami, mate), Boca Grande Entrance, Charlotte H arbor, Florida. Florida. 25 For Your Information... 26 Dredging Then and Now

The Army E ngineers during the 1890s and early 1900s allows it to dr edge in Sarasota and Manatee counties operated its own dredge, the U.S. Steam Snagboat and up to 6,500 cubic yards at each authorized site ov er a Dredge Suwanee, which made channel improv ements and 5-year period. Federal and state rules stringently regu- set day beacons in the inlets, inland waterways, and riv- late dr edging to ensure that pr oper procedures ar e in ers in Southwest Florida. This v essel was a steam-driven, place to pr otect bay and upland locales. shallow-draft, square-bow ed scow, 100 feet long, with a One type of hy draulic dredging system, designed for 24-foot beam and 4-foot draft. Although underpow er ed, open water conditions, operates fr om a 30 by 100 foot she was suited to her task. barge outfitted with twin Detr oit Diesel engines and 5- The Suwanee was put together inexpensively, as an ex- foot diameter pr opellers for impr ov ed maneuverability. periment in creating a general-purpose v essel for work Four hydraulic “spuds” lift the v essel out of the water for on small bays and riv ers. Her suction dredge discharged special work conditions. This system can remov e 60 per- the raised slurry upon the shor e thr ough pipes swung per- cent solids in sandy material with a pr oduction rate of pendicular to her sides, while her derrick pr ovided the 600 cubic yards per hour; the amount of clay material as lifting pow er to raise rocks and snags from the bay bot- solid is on the order of 15 per cent, with the r emov al rate tom. It was difficult wor k, since much of the dredging of about 100 cubic yards per hour. had to be done fr om the bow of the boat, on bars too Small, handheld systems, the least intrusiv e to the en- shallow to permit the Suwanee’s passage. Cuts w er e made vironment and shoreline residents, are used incr easingly. b y dragging the cutter — a hoof-shaped hood armed with These div er-operated systems r equir e no and teeth and a clear water valv e abov e it — along the bot- barge or other, large, unsightly suppor t equipment sta- tom using a hoisting tackle mounted on a guide pole. An tioned at the dredge site. A single diver operating a hand auxiliary water jet fr om the boat’s donkey pump was ap- dredge can pump 600 gallons per minute of 45–65 per- plied near and under the cutter. cent solid materials b y v olume. This pr ecision dredging The cut made at each mo v e of the boat was 35 feet approach minimiz es envir onmental impacts by allo wing wide and 3 feet long. The av erage amount of solid mate- the diver to direct the dr edge head b y hand in order to rial was about 25 percent of the , but amounts avoid disturbing sensitive bay bottom. Spoil material can as high as 85 per cent w er e r ecorded. The total capacity of be remov ed thr ough a pipe up to 1,000 feet fr om the the pump — a 6-inch E dward’s special cataract pump dredge and placed onto an upland de watering contain- run by a belt fr om a flywheel on the hoisting engines — ment site or into tractor trailers outfitted with watertight was 1400 gallons per minute or 800 gallons of water dump beds for offsite disposal. loaded with 25 per cent of heavy material. The best day’s D redge operators must ex er cise care to avoid raising wor k of the pump was 460 cubic yards. After discharge, the turbidity lev el at the dredge site. Any water returned the mud, which formed about 30 percent of the dredged from the dried-out spoil must meet permitting standards, material, floated for some distance, but the sand settled which may r equire manipulation of conditioning chemi- within 20 to 40 feet fr om the end of the pipe. The ship’s cals in a mixing tank and mechanical de watering of the complement included a 10-man cr ew to operate the mixture in a r ecessed chamber filter press in order to r e- snagboat, a launch, a float boat, and two rowboats. move suspended solids. The need for maintaining a qual- Today, the Army E ngineers contract private firms for ity coastal envir onment should be appar ent, given the maintenance dredging of federally-authorized inlets and incr easing population pressur es fr om both waterfr ont and the ICW. The West Coast Inland Navigation District di- water-based r ecreational uses. rectly hir es contractors to dredge public secondary access When the Army E ngineers operated in the r egion channels. Most dr edging operations — inlet operations during the pr e–dev elopment period, pr ocedures w er e aside — are designed to “surgically” remov e accumulated simple and costs modest, even b y standards of those days. silt and mud; the current general permit of the D istrict Aside fr om r emoving the dredged material and placing it on an adjacent spoil site, some additional expense might be incurred for engineering designs and contingencies. Today, costs ar e higher and the duration of work appr e- ciably longer. Table 2 compar es the actual costs, adjusted to 1982-84 dollars, for two similar dr edging operations in the region. The relativ e cost increases by an order of 2.5 times mor e for dredging and removing spoil mate- rial, in large measure due to the special equipment and handling requir ed in order to maintain a clean and healthy envir onment. The non-construction cost is 7.5 times greater today, due largely to the need to acquire and com- ply with permit conditions, including water quality moni- toring and r eporting, which may continue long after the dredging ev ent. Notwithstanding the ov erall increase in cost, how ever, the per unit of effort for removing a cubic yard of spoil is much less today than 100 years ago, mak- ing for a much more efficient operation, with the savings attributable to modern technology. Steam tug towing phosphate-laden schooner out Boca Grande, circa 1890s. P hosphate or e carrier at Po rt Boca Grande, 1978.

Cost comparisons of dredging 1,000 cubic yards in pre–development and contemporary periods. Actual Cost Adjusted to D)redging Project Actual Coast ($ Comparable Values ($) Pre–development (1900)* 2,526 R0emoving Material 25

367 37 Engineering and Contingencies

T7otal 228 2,90

Contemporary (2001)** 111,000 6,21 Removing Material

53,000 2,82 Engineering and Contingencies

146,000 9,03 Total

Relative Cost Increases Dyredging 2.5 times more costl Nyon-Construction*** 7.5 times more costl Costs normalized using Bureau of Labor Statistics Consumer Price Index (1982-84 base = 100): Price indices are: 1913.....9.9; 1982-84.....100.0; 2001....177.1 * Army Corps of Engineers dredging “Horseshoe Shoal,” northern Pine Island Sound, 1900 (assume cost comparable to 1913 figure), 7,399 cubic yard project, use 13.5 percent of cost to estimate 1,000 cubic yard volume, ** West Coast Inland Navigation District dredging Gottfried Creek, Lemon Bay, 2000-2001 10,000 cubic yard project, use 10 percent of cost to estimate 1,000 cubic yard volume, *** Permitting, engineering, monitoring, excluding legal expenses.

Table 2. 27