Tubing will stop on part of the Ichetucknee River this spring

FORT WHITE, Fla. (WCJB) -Tubing is set to end on parts of the Ichetucknee river starting this upcoming spring.

In a plan discussed Tuesday by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), the upper portion of the river in the Ichetucknee Springs State Park will be off-limits to tubing by May of 2021. That part of the river would instead be open paddling. Tubing would then increase in the lower portion of the river within the park.

DEP officials say tubers in particular have a negative impact on underwater vegetation because they touch the bottom of the river. An agency study shows that a decrease in the number of people enjoying the river during the pandemic allowed some of the vegetation to grow back, showing that the river can recover if allowed.

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