Drought plummets St. Johns River several feet, hurts river tourism

River at its lowest in 10 years

CHRISTMAS, Fla. – Severe drought conditions are hurting the St. Johns River and businesses that depend on it.

Airboat pilot Duke Davis said Friday that the river is lower than he's seen it in more than 10 years.

Davis, of Capt. Duke's Airboat Rides, said the drought is limiting how much he can show guests on the water and how many customers he can carry on his boat.

"Instead of taking six people, I'm limited down to four," he said. "I can lose up to $1,000 a day."

Davis said he normally rides his airboat down the river 15 miles but right now, because he has less room to maneuver his boat, he's cut his tour to five miles.

"This is definitely the worst I've seen," Davis said of the drought's effects on the river. "Normally, this time of year the water line is about this deep right here. And then by the end of August, after the afternoon rains, this whole island's underwater."

Davis said fish are losing space to swim, making them easy prey for the alligators.

"They're trapped. They can't move around," he said.

Alligators are getting squished themselves and are being put in greater danger of being struck by boaters. Thirsty cattle could also been seen Friday treading further out into the river to get a drink of water.

In some areas right now, the river is only a foot deep. Ironically, the drought is bringing good news to a different Central Florida waterway.

Dry conditions are clearing up the badly polluted Indian River Lagoon. Experts said  less rain means less stormwater flowing in.

This week, Central Florida is one of the driest places in the country, according to the U.S. Drought Index. It says only some parts of Georgia are as dry as Central Florida counties.


About the Author:

James joined News 6 in March 2016 as the Brevard County Reporter. His arrival was the realization of a three-year effort to return to the state where his career began. James is from Pittsburgh, PA and graduated from Penn State in 2009 with a degree in Broadcast Journalism.

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