Big Fishweir Creek is an urban tributary of the St. Johns River, located approximately four miles south of downtown Jacksonville. Big Fishweir Creek enters the St. Johns River (An American Heritage River) just north of the Ortega River, and is considered Essential Fish Habitat. Due to urbanization, including encroachment along the banks of the creek, sediments transported by storm events have covered the natural creek bottom. This has caused a degradation of the natural habitat of the creek and creek banks. Big Fishweir Creek is classified by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) as a Florida Class III Waterbody. In short, a Class III Waterbody should be “Swimmable and Fishable.”
The overall goal of the project is to restore healthy aquatic habitat in the creek by providing ecological benefits including: the removal of sediment, restoration of habitat for manatees and other native species, removal of exotic vegetation, restoration of submerged and emergent aquatic vegetation, and restoration of wetlands.