Jacksonville task force presses for answers as St. Johns River shoal grows into navigation and safety hazard

At a Jacksonville Waterways Commission, River Shoaling and Artificial Reef Task Force meeting, city and community representatives described an expanding shoal in the St. Johns River that participants say has become a navigation and public-safety hazard and is affecting shoreline infrastructure and park access.

Speakers said the shoal developed after dredging work in Back River and spoil disposal at a nearby military spoil site, and that material leaking from the spoil basins has repeatedly re-entered the river. They called for a coordinated, multi-agency response and data collection to identify the source and to stop further accumulation.

The shoal matters because it has widened from being a low-tide hazard to an obstruction at many tide levels, creating risk for recreational and commercial vessels, damaging shoreline infrastructure at Huguenot Park, and affecting popular park access. Presenters described incidents of boats striking the shoal, at least one serious injury, and repeated closures or temporary repairs to park roads.

Presenters said the problem traces to maintenance and discharge practices tied…