Middle St. Johns - Florida Department of Environmental Protection

72 Water Quality Assessment Report: Middle St. Johns
Table 3.4: Planning Units in the Middle St. Johns Basin
Planning Unit
Alexander Springs Creek
Deep Creek
Econlockhatchee River
Lake George
Lake Jesup
Lake Kerr
Lake Monroe
Lake Woodruff
Description
Located in the Ocala National Forest in Lake and Marion Counties, this planning
unit’s main waterbody types comprise streams, lakes, and springs. The
unit covers about 63,953 acres (100 square miles). Alexander Springs is a
first-order-magnitude spring. Alexander Springs Creek, which is west of the
St. Johns River, flows east until meeting the river.
Covering 175,454 acres (274 square miles), the planning unit lies within Volusia,
Brevard, and Seminole Counties. Lakes and streams are the predominant
waterbody types, with blackwater systems also present. Major waterbodies
include Lake Ashby and Lake Harney. The Deep Creek and Lake Ashby tributaries
connect to the St. Johns River in the southern portion of the unit.
Streams and lakes make up the planning unit, with the Little Econlockhatchee
River, Mills Creek, Cowpen Branch, and Fourmile Creek comprising some of
its main tributaries. Lying within Seminole, Orange, and Osceola Counties,
it covers 173,142 acres (270 square miles) and is contained mostly within the
west slope of the St. Johns River Valley.
Lying within portions of Lake, Marion, Volusia, and Putnam Counties, the
planning unit covers about 161,139 acres (252 square miles) and contains the
state’s second largest lake. Its principal waterbody types comprise lakes,
streams, and springs. The St. Johns River flows through Lake George and
exits the planning unit as the Ocklawaha River meets the St. Johns River.
Major waterbodies include Price Creek and Jumping Gully Creek.
Comprising 92,808 acres (145 square miles) within Seminole and Orange
Counties, Lake Jesup itself takes up 16,000 acres (including the lake’s floodplain),
covering about 20 percent of the total planning unit. Lake Jesup feeds
the St. Johns River by an outlet channel located by the S.R. 46 bridge and
causeway (SJRWMD, 2002). The planning unit includes both lake and stream
waterbody types.
This planning unit contains lakes, stream, and springs as the main waterbody
types. Its total area is about 120,498 acres (188 square miles). Lake Kerr, an
Outstanding Florida Water (OFW), lies within the Ocala National Forest.
The planning unit, which includes lake and stream (many of the smaller features
are ditches) waterbody types, covers 88,937 acres (139 square miles)
and lies within Volusia and Seminole Counties. Major waterbodies include
the Bethel Creek tributary and Konamac Lake.
Lying within Volusia and Lake Counties, the planning unit covers about
176,782 acres (276 square miles). The St. Johns River flows through
Beresford Lake, Lake Woodruff, and then to Lake Dexter before exiting the
planning unit. The principal waterbody types are lakes, streams and springs.
Wekiva River The dominant planning unit in the basin, its total area is 240,123 acres (376
square miles). Both the Wekiva and Little Wekiva Rivers are OFWs. Made up
of blackwater, spring, lake, and stream waterbody types, this unit is protected
by the 1988 Water Resources Protection Act. Major waterbodies include Lake
Dorr, Little Wekiva River, Rock Springs Run, and Blackwater Creek.