The Myakka River Basin, lying in Manatee, Sarasota, and Charlotte Counties, has much worth saving. Its rural and agricultural way of life, open vistas, innumerable wetlands, and abundant wildlife make it an outstanding area. The basin is remarkably free of the urban and industrial insults that have harmed so many of Florida's waterways:

The Myakka River Basin is flat. Its highest elvation is around 110 feet at Myakka Head, dropping an average of 2 feet per mile over its 66 mile run to the mangrove-fringed waters of Charlotte Harbor. The meandering river channel has cut to exposed limestone at Rocky Ford and fossil bones and shell lay on the river bottom. A large sinkhole named Deep Hole occurs at the outlet of Lower Myakka Lake. Two springs send deep aquifer water to the lower river - large Warm Mineral Springs and the smaller Little Salt Springs.