Anclote River FL (O&M)

May 2025

FACT SHEET

Anclote River, FL (O&M)

Operations & Maintenance

Congressional Districts: 21

1. DESCRIPTION

The Project was initially authorized by the River and Harbor Act of 1899, with modifications in the River and Harbor Act of 1927 (Public Law 69-560), the River and Harbor Act of 1935 (Public Law 74-409) and the River and Harbor Act of 1945 (Public Law 79-14). The existing project channel is 9.1 miles long, 9 feet deep, and 100 feet wide, extending from Tarpon Springs into the Gulf of Mexico. The project turning basin is at Tarpon Springs. The project channel is used by shrimp boats, sponge boats, party-fishing boats, commercial fishing boats, sponge-diver exhibition boats, and recreational craft.

2. FUNDING

a. Regular Civil Works Funds:

b. P.L. 115-123: Bi-Partisan Budget Act of 2018, Supplemental:

b. P.L. 117-58: Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act Funds:

3. SPONSOR

City of Tarpon Springs
PO Box 5004
Tarpon Springs, Florida 34688-5004

4. STATUS

Dredging of the interior channel of Anclote River was completed in Oct 2023 with funding provided by Bipartisan Budget Act A-18 (P.L. 115-123) where approximately 29,259 cubic yards was removed from the Federal channel.  Additionally, the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2022 (P.L. 117-58) appropriated $5,000,000 for additional dredging of the entrance channel cuts of the Anclote River. Hydrographic surveys conducted in March 2024 have indicated close to 90,000 cubic yards have shoaled into the federal channel. However, benthic surveys also show approximately three acres of protected submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV) (aka sea grass) within the dredging footprint. Given the low volume of material, the team is planning to utilize Corps hopper dredging equipment in 2026 to dredge the cuts that have shoaled into the channel with placement of material in the deeper areas within the same federal channel or work with state and agency to be placed offshore of the Three Rookers Island as beneficial use.  Anclote Island continues to shoal to the south and has migrated into Cut 2 where realignment of Cut-1 was completed in 2022 with the creation of Cut-1A that connects directly to Gulf coast Intracoastal Waterway (GIWW).  However, Anclote Island is further migrating eastward towards the GIWW so efforts are to create a new Cut-2A that follows best waters to connect remaining portion of Cut-2 not impacted by migration of Anclote island and further reduce future O&M dredging requirements.