Choctawhatchee Bay

Choctawhatchee Bay is a bay in the Emerald Coast region of the Florida Panhandle. The bay, located within Okaloosa and Walton counties, is an inlet of the Gulf of Mexico and has a surface area of 334 square kilometres (129 sq mi).^[2] It connects to Santa Rosa Sound in Fort Walton Beach, Florida to the west and to St. Andrews Bay in Bay County to the east, via the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway. East Pass (also known as Destin Pass) is the only outlet of the bay flowing directly into the Gulf of Mexico, and is crossed by US 98.^[3] The Choctawhatchee River flows into the bay, as do several smaller rivers and streams.^[2][4] The tolled Mid-Bay Bridge (SR 293) crosses the bay, connecting the city of Destin to Niceville, Florida. The Judge Clyde B. Wells Bridge (US 331) crosses the eastern part of the bay, connecting Freeport to the coast.^[5]

Looking westward onto Choctawhatchee Bay

Choctawhatchee Bay
Satellite image of the Choctawhatchee Bay
Choctawhatchee Bay
Coordinates	30°26′22″N 86°18′40″W
Primary inflows	Choctawhatchee River
Primary outflows	Gulf of Mexico, Santa Rosa Sound
Catchment area	5,405 square miles (14,000 km2)
Max. length	27 miles (43 km)[1]
Max. width	6 miles (9.7 km)
Surface area	129 square miles (330 km2)
Max. depth	43 feet (13 m)
Settlements	Fort Walton Beach, Destin Santa Rosa Beach, Freeport, Niceville, Shalimar, Valparaiso

History

Pensacola Bay and Choctawhatchee Bay (Bahia de Sta. Rosa) in a 1700 Spanish map

The bay was charted by Spanish, French, and English expeditions, The bay appears on some charts as "St. Rose's Bay".^[6][7]

Following the Treaty of Moultrie Creek, small bands of Creeks lived on the shores of Choctawhatchee Bay.^[8]

Destin Pass connecting Choctawhatchee Bay (left) with the Gulf of Mexico

At the beginning of the 1900s, Choctawhatchee Bay was mainly freshwater and had a small channel to the Gulf of Mexico. During a storm in 1929, the bay's water level increased and threatened homes on the bay with flooding. Locals dug a small trench near Destin to release the water, which quickly eroded into a large channel, creating today's large Destin's Pass or East Pass. The larger channel increased the bay's salinity, significantly changing its ecosystem.^[9]

Military use

As noted in a 1993 Eglin AFB report, Test Area D-55 was originally installed in the World War II era by Eglin Air Force Base with "omnidirectional radar corner reflectors" on top to be used as a radar target range.^[10] Test Area D-55 is formed by 25 arrays of 2,040 wood pilings placed east of the Clyde B. Wells Bridge. They are located in 8 feet of water and the array extends for 1.2 miles.

Municipalities

Several towns and cities are located around the Choctawhatchee Bay:

• Fort Walton Beach
• Destin
• Santa Rosa Beach
• Freeport
• Niceville
• Shalimar
• Valparaiso

Tributaries

Below are a few of the tributary rivers and bayous that feed into the Choctawhatchee Bay.

Rivers

• Choctawhatchee River
• Mitchell River
• Black Creek

Bayous

• LaGrange Bayou
• Alaqua Bayou
• Basin Bayou
• Rocky Bayou
• Boggy Bayou
• Cinco Bayou

Lakes

• Pippin Lake
• Jack Lake
• Lower Memorial Lake
• Bens Lake
• Lake Lorraine
• Lake Vivian
• Lake Clyde
• Lake Earl