At port on the St. Johns River at Green Cove Springs

More than 2 million tons of goods each year are transported through Florida's inland fresh-waterways (2001). That's about 90,000 truckloads that otherwise might be carried on our highways.

This is a mere echo of the past, before trains, trucks and airplanes, when most goods and people came to and left Florida by boat. From the eighteenth through much of the twentieth century commercial boats carried goods and people throughout the state via its inland freshwaters, including many rivers and lakes that no longer see commercial boat traffic of any kind.

Lake Tohopekaliga grapefruit shipment	Lake Tohopekaliga passenger boat	Okeehumpkee steamer on the Oklawaha	Lucas Steamship at Silver Springs

Palatka Barge Port	St. Johns River Barge Port

Miami River	Tanker in the St. Johns	Shrimp boats at port	Barge on the Apalachicola

AQUATIC PLANT MANAGEMENT and NAVIGATION
As with pleasure boating in Florida, if commercial navigation activities are to run smoothly and efficiently in our inland waters, aquatic plant management must be kept a priority. If left unchecked, infestations of invasive aquatic plants can be the single-most important hindrance to navigation. This has been the case in Florida for more than 100 years. The St. John's River, a busy commercial waterway along most of its length, must be continually managed to control water hyacinth. A hundred years ago, the entire St. Johns was nearly unnavigable because of water hyacinth.

Water hyacinth and water lettuce rafts jammed against lock doors at Buckman Lock

In Florida, plants such as hydrilla, water hyacinth, and water lettuce can slow commercial traffic, even large ships and barges, and block access to ports, docks and locks. An acre of floating water hyacinth can amass a weight of 200 tons. When a large volume of plants pushes against boats, docks, locks and bridges by water currents and wind, severe physical damage to the structures can result.

The cost of controlling infestations of plants in navigation channels is costly. Each year, the federally-funded Army Corps of Engineers spends $2.5 million to keep Florida's inland waterways clear of aquatic plants; the state of Florida annually spends an additional $10-15 million to keep inland navigable waters navigable.

Barge on the St. Marks River	Oil barge on the St. Johns River	Channel passage through Lake George	Port improvements at Green Cove Springs

The stately Apalachicola River

Transportation over water can provide more safety than railroad or highway transport, especially when dealing with hazardous materials such as fertilizers. Using boats and barges also reduces the number of tractor-trailers on the highway.

One barge can carry the same amount of chemicals as 110 tank trucks. Also, the Federal Highway Administration estimates that over 45,000 trucks would be needed if 1 million tons of coal were transported by truck instead of barge. If all of Florida's waterborne cargo were transported by truck, that would mean 90,000 more trucks on the road each year! Another advantage for the environment is that air emissions of towboats (which pull the barges) can be up to 60% less than truck emissions. While Florida commodities continue to be in high demand, commercial navigation is one reason why Florida will remain a strong economic presence in the United States.

Navigation on Florida's freshwaters is made possible by maintenance control of Florida's invasive aquatic plants.

Some Locks on Florida's Rivers and Lakes

Old hand-operated lock on Okeechobee	Modern lock on Lake Okeechobee	Lock on Lake Tohopekaliga	Moore Haven marina at lock on Caloosahatchee River

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