Chumuckla Springs Boat Ramp Receives Permitting

Chumuckla Springs Boat Ramp Receives Permitting

The Chumuckla Springs Boat Ramp has received the final permit from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, enabling the project to begin construction. The new boat ramp will be owned by the county and will be open year round. It will replace the current Sandy Landing Boat Ramp which is privately owned but maintained by the county and open to the public through a license agreement. Land clearing for the Chumuckla Springs Boat Ramp located on Mineral Springs Lake is expected to begin the first week of March.

This will be a large and challenging project as it will require over nine acres of clearing and grubbing, one-half mile of new paved road construction, over one-half mile of paved ditches, four stormwater retention ponds, over 7,000 square yards of compacted rock parking and driving areas and extensive erosion controls.   The project construction time will be weather driven and will take several months depending on rain and potential flooding of the river and the lake.

In addition to being open year round, the new Mineral Springs location will have several advantages over the Sandy Landing Boat Ramp including more favorable currents for launching or loading small fishing boats and the ability to launch boats during low river tides. Features of the Chumuckla Springs Boat Ramp will include a gravel parking area with parking for 30 trucks with trailers and 20 standard parking spaces and a ramp which will allow the launching of two boats side by side with appropriate loading and staging areas.