Posted on May 13, 2026
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CHATTAHOOCHEE, Fla. (WCTV) – This year has already become pivotal for the Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint River Basin, as new discussions about dredging the Apalachicola River for the first time in 20 years move through public review by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
The proposal comes as officials weigh whether the river system can support deeper navigation channels needed for commercial barge traffic, which typically requires nine feet of depth compared to the roughly seven feet the Army Corps said it can maintain with all of its locks and dams.
That gap is expected to be a central issue in the debate ahead.
At the heart of the entire river system is the Jim Woodruff Dam, which regulates the flow of water that travels 106 miles south to the Gulf.
The structure sits where the Chattahoochee River and Flint River converge to form the Apalachicola River and also created Lake Seminole, a key reservoir for flood control, navigation and recreation across the region.
