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The Intracoastal Waterway is a 4,800-km (3,000-mile) waterway
Waterway

A waterway is any navigable body of water. These include rivers, lakes, seas, oceans, and canals. In order for a waterway to be navigable, it must meet several criteria:...
 along the Atlantic
Atlantic Ocean

The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions; with a total area of about 106.4 million square kilometres . It covers approximately one-fifth of the Earth's surface....
 and Gulf
Gulf of Mexico

The Gulf of Mexico is the ninth largest body of water in the world. Considered a smaller part of the Atlantic Ocean, it is an oceanic basin largely surrounded by the North American continent and the island of Cuba....
 coasts of the United States
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
. Some lengths consist of natural inlets, salt-water rivers, bays, and sounds; others are man-made canals.

The waterway runs for most of the length of the Eastern Seaboard
Eastern seaboard

An Eastern seaboard can mean any easternmost part of a continent, or its countries, states and/or cities.Eastern seaboard may also refer to:...
, from its unofficial northern terminus at the Manasquan River
Manasquan River

The Manasquan River is a major river in central New Jersey. It flows from central Monmouth County, beginning in Freehold Township, New Jersey, to the Atlantic Ocean, where it empties between the communities of Manasquan, New Jersey and Point Pleasant, New Jersey via the Manasquan Inlet....
 in New Jersey, where it connects with the Atlantic Ocean at the Manasquan Inlet, to Brownsville
Brownsville, Texas

Brownsville is a city in and the county seat of Cameron County, Texas, Texas, United States. Brownsville is the 15th largest city in the state of Texas and the 130th largest in the United States....
, Texas
Texas

Texas is a U.S. state located in the South Central United States, nicknamed the Lone Star State. Texas is the second largest U.S. state in both area and population, spanning , and with a growing population of 24.3 million residents....
.






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Icw1216
The Intracoastal Waterway is a 4,800-km (3,000-mile) waterway
Waterway

A waterway is any navigable body of water. These include rivers, lakes, seas, oceans, and canals. In order for a waterway to be navigable, it must meet several criteria:...
 along the Atlantic
Atlantic Ocean

The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions; with a total area of about 106.4 million square kilometres . It covers approximately one-fifth of the Earth's surface....
 and Gulf
Gulf of Mexico

The Gulf of Mexico is the ninth largest body of water in the world. Considered a smaller part of the Atlantic Ocean, it is an oceanic basin largely surrounded by the North American continent and the island of Cuba....
 coasts of the United States
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
. Some lengths consist of natural inlets, salt-water rivers, bays, and sounds; others are man-made canals.

The waterway runs for most of the length of the Eastern Seaboard
Eastern seaboard

An Eastern seaboard can mean any easternmost part of a continent, or its countries, states and/or cities.Eastern seaboard may also refer to:...
, from its unofficial northern terminus at the Manasquan River
Manasquan River

The Manasquan River is a major river in central New Jersey. It flows from central Monmouth County, beginning in Freehold Township, New Jersey, to the Atlantic Ocean, where it empties between the communities of Manasquan, New Jersey and Point Pleasant, New Jersey via the Manasquan Inlet....
 in New Jersey, where it connects with the Atlantic Ocean at the Manasquan Inlet, to Brownsville
Brownsville, Texas

Brownsville is a city in and the county seat of Cameron County, Texas, Texas, United States. Brownsville is the 15th largest city in the state of Texas and the 130th largest in the United States....
, Texas
Texas

Texas is a U.S. state located in the South Central United States, nicknamed the Lone Star State. Texas is the second largest U.S. state in both area and population, spanning , and with a growing population of 24.3 million residents....
. The waterway is toll-free, but commercial users pay a fuel tax
Fuel tax

A fuel tax is a sales tax imposed on the sale of fuel. In most countries, the fuel tax imposed on fuels which are intended for transportation. Fuels used to power agricultural vehicles, and/or home heating oil which is similar to diesel are taxed at a different, usually lower, rate....
 that is used to maintain and improve it. The ICW is a significant portion of the Great Loop
Great loop

The circumnavigation of Eastern North America by water is known as The Great Loop. Also improperly referred to as the Great Circle Route , the trip varies from 5,000 miles to 7,500 miles depending on the options used....
, a circumnavigation route encircling the Eastern half of the North American continent.

The creation of the Intracoastal Waterway was authorized by the United States Congress
United States Congress

The United States Congress is the Bicameralism legislature of the Federal government of the United States of the United States of America, consisting of two houses, the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives....
 in 1919. It is maintained by the United States Army Corps of Engineers
United States Army Corps of Engineers

The United States Army Corps of Engineers is a federal agency and a major Army command made up of some 34,600 civilian and 650 military personnel, making it the world's largest public services engineering, design and construction management agency....
. Federal law provides for the waterway to be maintained at a minimum depth of 12 ft (4 m) for most of its length, but inadequate funding has prevented that. Consequently, shoaling or shallow water are problems along several sections of the waterway; some parts have 7-ft (2.1-m) and 9-ft (2.7-m) minimum depths. The waterway consists of two non-contiguous segments: the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway
Gulf Intracoastal Waterway

The Gulf Intracoastal Waterway is the portion of the Intracoastal Waterway located along the Gulf Coast of the United States of the United States....
, extending from Brownsville
Brownsville, Texas

Brownsville is a city in and the county seat of Cameron County, Texas, Texas, United States. Brownsville is the 15th largest city in the state of Texas and the 130th largest in the United States....
, Texas
Texas

Texas is a U.S. state located in the South Central United States, nicknamed the Lone Star State. Texas is the second largest U.S. state in both area and population, spanning , and with a growing population of 24.3 million residents....
 to Carrabelle
Carrabelle, Florida

Carrabelle is a city in Franklin County, Florida, Florida, United States. The population was 1,303 at the 2000 census. According to the U.S Census estimates of 2005, the city had a population of 1,290....
, Florida
Florida

Florida is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States of the United States, bordering Alabama to the northwest and Georgia to the northeast....
, and the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway, extending from Key West
Key West, Florida

Key West is a city in Monroe County, Florida, United States.The city encompasses Key West, the namesake island, the part of Stock Island, Florida north of U.S....
, Florida
Florida

Florida is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States of the United States, bordering Alabama to the northwest and Georgia to the northeast....
 to Norfolk, Virginia
Norfolk, Virginia

Norfolk is an independent city in the Virginia in the United States. With a population of 234,403 as of the United States Census 2000, it is Virginia's second-largest incorporated city....
 (milepost 0.0). The two segments were originally intended to be connected via the Cross Florida Barge Canal
Cross Florida Barge Canal

The Cross Florida Barge Canal was a canal project to connect the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean across Florida for barge traffic....
 across northern Florida
Florida

Florida is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States of the United States, bordering Alabama to the northwest and Georgia to the northeast....
, but this was never completed due to environmental concerns. Additional canals and bays extend a navigable waterway to Boston
Boston, Massachusetts

Boston is the State capital and largest city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is considered the economic and cultural center of the region, and is sometimes regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England." Boston city proper had a 2007 est...
, Massachusetts
Massachusetts

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a U.S. state located in the New England region of the Northeastern United States United States. It borders Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north....
.

The Intracoastal Waterway has a good deal of commercial activity; barges haul petroleum, petroleum products, foodstuffs, building materials, and manufactured goods. It is also used extensively by recreational boaters. On the east coast, some of the traffic in fall and spring is by snowbirds
Snowbird (people)

The term Snowbird is used to describe people from the Northeastern United States, Midwestern United States, or Canada who spend a large portion of winter in warmer locales such as California, Arizona, Florida, The Carolinas, or elsewhere along the Sunbelt region of the southern and southwest United States, areas of the Caribbean, and even as...
 who regularly move
Seasonal human migration

Seasonal human migration is very common in agriculture season. It includes migrations such as moving sheep or cattle to higher elevations during summer to escape heat and find more Fodder....
 south in winter and north in summer. The waterway is also used when the ocean is too rough to travel on. Numerous inlets connect the Atlantic and the Gulf of Mexico with the Intracoastal Waterway.

Natural bodies of water

The following natural bodies of water are included in the Intracoastal Waterway system:
  • Albemarle Sound
    Albemarle Sound

    Albemarle Sound is a large estuary on the coast of North Carolina in the United States located at the confluence of a group of rivers, including the Chowan River and Roanoke River....
  • Apalachicola Bay
    Apalachicola Bay

    Apalachicola Bay is an estuary and lagoon located on Florida's northwest coast renowned for its oysters. The Apalachicola Bay system also includes St....
  • Barnegat Bay
    Barnegat Bay

    Barnegat Bay is a small Brackish water arm of the Atlantic Ocean, approximately 30 miles long, along the coast of Ocean County, New Jersey, New Jersey in the United States....
  • Biscayne Bay
    Biscayne Bay

    Biscayne Bay is a lagoon that is approximately 35 miles long and up to 8 miles wide located on the Atlantic coast of south Florida. It is usually divided for purposes of discussion and analysis into three parts, North Bay, Central Bay and South Bay....
  • Buzzards Bay
    Buzzards Bay

    Buzzards Bay can refer to:*Buzzards Bay, a bay along the southern edge of Massachusetts.*Buzzards Bay, Massachusetts, a village in Bourne, Massachusetts....
  • Cape Cod Bay
    Cape Cod Bay

    Cape Cod Bay is a large headlands and bays of the Atlantic Ocean adjacent to the U.S. state of Massachusetts. It is enclosed by Cape Cod to the south and east, and Plymouth County, Massachusetts, to the west; to the north of Cape Cod Bay lie Massachusetts Bay and the Atlantic Ocean....
  • Casco Bay
    Casco Bay

    Casco Bay is an inlet of the Gulf of Maine on the southern coast of Maine, New England. Its easternmost approach is Cape Small and its westernmost approach is Cape Elizabeth Lights in Cape Elizabeth, Maine....
  • Charlotte Harbor
  • Chesapeake Bay
    Chesapeake Bay

    The Chesapeake Bay is the largest estuary in the United States. It lies off the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by Maryland and Virginia. The Chesapeake Bay's drainage basin covers in the District of Columbia and parts of six states: New York, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, and West Virginia....
  • Delaware Bay
    Delaware Bay

    Delaware Bay is a large estuary outlet of the Delaware River on the Northeast seaboard of the United States whose fresh water mixes for many miles with the waters of the Atlantic Ocean....
  • East River
    East River

    The East River is a tidal strait in New York City. It connects Upper New York Bay on its south end to Long Island Sound on its north end. It separates Long Island from the island of Manhattan and the Bronx on the North American mainland....
  • Galveston Bay
    Galveston Bay

    Galveston Bay is a large estuary located along Texas's upper coast....
  • Gulf of Maine
    Gulf of Maine

    The Gulf of Maine is a large Headlands and bays of the Atlantic Ocean on the northeastern coast of North America.It is delineated by Cape Cod at the eastern tip of Massachusetts in the southwest and Cape Sable Island at the southern tip of Nova Scotia in the northeast....
  • Halifax River
    Halifax River

    The Halifax River is part of the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway, located in northeast Volusia County, Florida. The waterway was named after George Montagu-Dunk, 2nd Earl of Halifax....
  • Laguna Madre
    Laguna Madre

    The Laguna Madre is the name of two long, shallow Headlands and bays along the western coast of the Gulf of Mexico in the United States and Mexico; the two being separated by the outlet of the Rio Grande....
  • Mississippi River
    Mississippi River

    The Mississippi River is the longest river in the United States, with a length of from its source in Lake Itasca in Minnesota to its mouth in the Gulf of Mexico....
  • Mississippi Sound
    Mississippi Sound

    The Mississippi Sound is a sound along the Gulf Coast of the United States. It runs east-west along the southern coasts of Mississippi and Alabama, from Waveland, Mississippi, to the Dauphin Island Bridge, a distance of about 145 kilometers ....
  • Mobile Bay
    Mobile Bay

    Mobile Bay is an inlet of the Gulf of Mexico, lying within the state of Alabama in the United States. Its mouth is formed by the Fort Morgan Peninsula on the eastern side and Dauphin Island, a barrier island on the western side....
  • Mosquito Lagoon
    Mosquito Lagoon

    Mosquito Lagoon is part of the Indian River Lagoon system and the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway. It extends from Ponce de Le?n Inlet in Volusia County, Florida, to the north end of Merritt Island....
  • Pensacola Bay
    Pensacola Bay

    Pensacola Bay is a bay located in the northwestern part of Florida, USA, known as the Florida Panhandle.The bay, an inlet of the Gulf of Mexico, is located in Escambia County, Florida and Santa Rosa County, Florida, adjacent to the city of Pensacola, Florida, and is about 13 miles long and 2.5 miles wide....
  • Indian River Lagoon
    Indian River Lagoon

    The Indian River Lagoon is a series of lagoons and inlets making up a portion of the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway in the U.S. state of Florida....
  • Long Island Sound
    Long Island Sound

    Long Island Sound is an estuary of the Atlantic Ocean and various rivers in the United States that lies between the coast of Connecticut to the north and Long Island, New York to the south....
  • Pamlico Sound
    Pamlico Sound

    Pamlico Sound in North Carolina, is the largest lagoon along the U.S. East Coast of the United States being 129 km long and 24 to 48 km wide....
  • Santa Rosa Sound
    Santa Rosa Sound

    Santa Rosa Sound is a Sound connecting Pensacola Bay and Choctawhatchee Bay in Florida. The northern shore consists of the Fairpoint Peninsula and portions of the mainland in Santa Rosa County and Okaloosa County....
  • Tampa Bay
    Tampa Bay

    This article is about the body of water. For the demographic region, see Tampa Bay Area. For the city, see Tampa, FloridaTampa Bay is a large natural harbor and estuary along the Gulf of Mexico on the west central coast of Florida, comprising Old Tampa Bay, Hillsborough Bay, McKay Bay, and New Tampa Bay....


Canals


Major freight canals

  • Cape Cod Canal
    Cape Cod Canal

    The Cape Cod Canal is a man-made waterway traversing the narrow neck of land that joins Cape Cod to mainland Massachusetts.Part of the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway, the canal is roughly 17.4 miles long and connects Cape Cod Bay in the north to Buzzards Bay in the south....
  • Chesapeake and Delaware Ship Canal
  • Panama Canal
    Panama Canal

    The Panama Canal is a man-made canal which joins the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Ocean oceans. One of the largest and most difficult engineering projects ever undertaken, it had an enormous impact on shipping between the two oceans, replacing the long and treacherous route via the Drake Passage and Cape Horn at the southernmost tip of South Am...


Other canals

  • Chesapeake and Albemarle Canal
  • Dismal Swamp Canal
    Dismal Swamp Canal

    Dismal Swamp Canal is located along the eastern edge of the Great Dismal Swamp in Virginia and North Carolina in the United States. It is the oldest continually operating man-made canal in the United States, opened in 1805....
  • Cape May Canal
  • Delaware and Raritan Canal
    Delaware and Raritan Canal

    The Delaware and Raritan Canal is a canal in central New Jersey, United States, built in the 1830s that served to connect the Delaware River to the Raritan River....
    -no longer operational or part of the Intracoastal Waterway
  • Point Pleasant Canal
    Point Pleasant Canal

    The Point Pleasant Canal is a canal in Point Pleasant, New Jersey. It was completed in late 1925 to connect the Manasquan Inlet and Manasquan River with Bay Head Harbor on the northern end of the Barnegat Bay....


See also

  • Waterways along and crossings of the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway
  • Waterways along and crossings of the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway


External links

  • at Handbook of Texas
    Handbook of Texas

    The Handbook of Texas is a comprehensive encyclopedia of Texas geography, history, and historical persons published by the Texas State Historical Association ....
  • , Encyclopędia Britannica