Orange Creek Basin Management Action Plan

The first phase of the Orange Creek Basin Management Action Plan was adopted in May 2008 to address nutrient, iron, and fecal coliforms impairment in nine waterbodies. The first phase focused on identifying sources of fecal coliforms bacteria and implementing the Alachua Sink TMDL for total nitrogen. The second phase of the BMAP was adopted in July 2014 and focused on several lakes that required additional management strategies to reach their TMDLs and completion of a strategy to address high bacterial levels in urban streams. An Amendment to the BMAP was adopted in July 2019 adding one new TMDL and allocating loading reduction responsibilities to local jurisdictions for Newnans Lake, Orange Lake, and Lochloosa Lake. The BMAP includes management strategies and projects to be implemented by stakeholders that are expected to reduce elevated levels of nutrients and fecal coliforms bacteria in these waterbodies.

 Quick Facts:

 Basin Management Action Plan (BMAP)  adopted: May 2008

 Basin Management Action Plan Phase 2  adopted: July 2014

 Basin Management Action Plan Amendment  adopted: July 2019

 Newnans Lake TMDL Restoration Targets  adopted: September 2003

 Orange Lake TMDL Restoration Targets  adopted: September 2003

 Lochloosa Lake and Cross Creek TMDL Restoration Targets  adopted: May 2017

 Lake Wauberg TMDL Restoration Targets  adopted: March 2004

 Alachua Sink TMDL Restoration Targets  adopted: April 2006

 Hogtown Creek TMDL Restoration Targets  adopted: September 2003

 Sweetwater Branch TMDL Restoration Targets  adopted: September 2003

 Tumblin Creek TMDL Restoration Targets  adopted: September 2003

 Hatchet Creek TMDL Restoration Targets  adopted: September 2003

BMAP Restoration Area: 385,271 acres

 Water Quality Impairment:

Total phosphorus (TP) and total nitrogen (TN) for Newnans Lake, Lochloosa Lake, and Lake Wauberg.

TP for Orange Lake.

TN for Alachua Sink.

Fecal coliforms bacteria for Hogtown Creek, Sweetwater Branch, and Tumblin Creek.

Iron for Hatchet Creek. 

Principal Sources of Nutrients:

Erosion of phosphate-rich geological layer called the Hawthorn Group

Urban stormwater runoff

Transport of nutrients between lakes

Onsite treatment and disposal systems

Agriculture

The Orange Creek Basin is located primarily in Alachua County. It also encompasses part of northern Marion County and western Putnam County. It is comprised of six sub-watersheds including Paynes Prairie, Hogtown Creek, Newnans Lake, Orange Lake, Lochloosa Lake, and Orange Creek.

Major pathways of water flow are from Little Hatchet Creek and Hatchet Creek to Newnans Lake; Newnans Lake to Paynes Prairie and Orange Lake; Lochloosa Lake to Orange Lake; Orange Lake to Orange Creek; Sweetwater Branch and Tumblin Creek to Paynes Prairie; and Hogtown Creek to Haile Sink. Alachua Sink and Lake Wauberg are located within Paynes Prairie. It is not just water that moves between lakes, but also nutrient loading. The Hogtown Creek Watershed drains a large part of urban Gainesville.

The basin supports sport fisheries and recreational opportunities providing economic benefit to local communities. The lakes and streams provide habitat for various wildlife species, migratory waterfowl, alligators, and wading birds. Orange Lake, Newnans Lake, and Lochloosa Lake are designated as Fish Management Areas.

Monitoring

Water quality monitoring is required by all BMAPs. The purpose of the monitoring network is to support the evaluation of progress made toward achieving the total maximum daily load (TMDL) targets for total nitrogen (TN), total phosphorus (TP), and fecal coliform concentrations. Monitoring locations are geographically dispersed and located in different areas of the basin.  

The development of a monitoring network is a critical element in the assessment, restoration, and protection of stream water quality. The Orange Creek strategy for monitoring water quality and measuring pollutant loads builds on existing programs being conducted by DEP, the St. Johns River Water Management District (SJRWMD), Alachua County, Gainesville Regional Utilities (GRU), and others.  

The primary and secondary objectives (as outlined in the BMAP) reflect the priorities and provide further detail on the application of water quality monitoring data to support the BMAP. Table 1 lists the parameters that are the focus of the BMAP monitoring strategy. The monitoring strategy focuses on core indicators to track water quality trends. These indicators are directly related to the parameters causing impairment. The other parameters are considered supplementary parameters for the BMAP, as they build information about water quality but are not direct measurements of impairment.  

There are nine major impaired waterbodies included in the Orange Creek Basin that are covered by TMDLs. Water quality data are collected at lake and lake tributary stations for the indicators listed in Table 1 under "Lakes" to identify and track trends and determine if TMDL targets are being achieved and to also measure reductions in watershed loading of TMDL target pollutants. In addition to the core surface water quality indicators and supplemental water quality indicators listed in Table 1 under the Creeks column, routine bacteriological sampling locations are located on Lake Wauberg, Hogtown Creek and its tributaries, Sweetwater Branch and Tumblin Creek, to track levels of E. coli.  

DEP continuously monitors the effectiveness of the monitoring network to fulfill the objectives stated in the BMAP and will continue to coordinate within and across jurisdictions to achieve water quality targets. 

Water Quality

The Protecting Florida Together water quality map delivers statewide water quality information. On this site, you can explore the Florida regions that are of interest to you. Individual waterbodies are color-coded based on the assessment status of nutrients and whether they are meeting standards.

The water quality map has information on impairments under the “Water Impairment” tab based on the DEP watershed assessment process, in accordance with the Impaired Waters Rule. When sufficient data is available, you can click the button called “View Waterbody Trends” to see a graph of annual geometric mean concentrations (AGMs) for each parameter over the last 10 years. Additionally, the “Get More Data” button below the graphs allows users to search for additional monitoring data from the statewide database,  Watershed Information Network .

The Protecting Florida Together water quality maps and graphs can be accessed at the following link.

 Water Quality Status Dashboard | Water Quality Dashboard (protectingfloridatogether.gov) 

Actions to Achieve Nutrient Load Reductions

The first phase of the BMAP focused on implementing the Alachua Sink TMDL through the Sweetwater Branch Sheetflow Restoration Project, identifying sources of bacterial contamination in urban streams, and completing nutrient source studies for the lakes. The phase 2 BMAP identified Newnans Lake, Orange Lake, Lochloosa Lake, and Lake Wauberg as not meeting their TMDLs without additional nutrient reduction efforts. The 2019 BMAP Amendment added the Lochloosa Lake TMDL to the BMAP and allocated loading reduction responsibilities to local jurisdictions for Newnans Lake, Orange Lake, and Lochloosa Lake. Some of the water quality restoration activities are described below and in more detail under the Project Highlights Tab.

A variety of water quality protection and improvement techniques are used in this basin. Inspection and maintenance of wastewater and stormwater collection infrastructure with focus on proximity to surface waters helps to prevent bacterial and nutrient pollution from entering surface water by ensuring the integrity of collection systems. Land acquisition and subsequent management as conservation land protects water quality and ecologically important species and their habitats. Lake habitat restoration by shoreline stabilization is used to support fish and wildlife but can also improve water quality.

All agricultural nonpoint sources in the BMAP area are statutorily required either to implement appropriate Best Management Practices (BMPs) or to conduct water quality monitoring that demonstrates compliance with state water quality standards. The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) Office of Agricultural Water Policy (OAWP), Florida Forest Service, and Division of Aquaculture develop and adopt BMPs in coordination with DEP, UF–IFAS, and applicable producer groups. Producers that choose to implement BMPs must file a signed Notice of Intent (NOI) and BMP checklist with FDACS and implement the applicable BMPs. Cost share dollars from St. Johns River Management District and FDACS are used by agricultural producers for upgrading to more efficient irrigation and fertilization practices that reduce water use and runoff caused nutrient loading.

Management and treatment of urban stormwater provides water quality benefits. Urban stormwater projects include best management practices (BMPs) such as stormwater ponds, hydrodynamic separators that remove debris, swales, and street sweeping, as well as projects that reduce nutrient sources such as local fertilizer and pet waste ordinances, public education, and Florida-friendly landscaping practices.

Projects can occur at a variety of scales including county-wide and city-wide. Additionally, some areas may be covered by multiple programs or ordinances. Due to these varying scales of nutrient management strategies, certain project types are not easily represented as point features in geographic information systems (GIS). However, to be displayed on this map points have been estimated for as many projects as possible.

The Orange Creek BMAP also includes three fecal indicator bacteria TMDLs for urban streams. In 2015, DEP adopted EPA criteria for Escherichia coli (E. coli) for freshwater bacteria which states that no more than 10% of samples taken for a given waterbody can exceed 410 colony-forming units per 100 milliliters (cfu/100 mL). Based on data from 2015 through 2022, the frequency of exceedances of the ten percent threshold of applicable criteria were 71.4%, 85.7%, and 28.6% for Hogtown Creek, Tumblin Creek, and Sweetwater Branch, respectively. Due to the small number of samples available to calculate the percent exceedance during this period, the data shown should not be used as a full assessment of overall water quality. 

The BMAP implementation process uses adaptive management to adjust when circumstances change, or monitoring indicates the need for additional or more effective restoration strategies. Adaptive management measures may include recommending additional restoration projects, updating the information in the water quality model, updating the model itself, adjusting allocations, or including new statutory requirements. 

More information on projects in the Orange Creek BMAP can be found in the latest  Statewide Annual Report .

Nutrient TMDLs for five lakes, fecal coliform bacteria TMDL for three streams, and one iron TMDL for a stream have been adopted and are listed along with loading and concentration targets in the TMDL Summary table. Florida has replaced the fecal coliform criterion with an E. coli criterion, which is a more specific indicator of human waste, but the goal of the TMDL is still to reduce bacteria levels to or below the criterion. The 2019 BMAP Amendment sets a target date of 2028 for achieving TMDL targets for all impaired waterbodies. Water quality is evaluated as a rolling average of the most recent seven years compared to the TMDL development period. Bacterial TMDLs are evaluated by percent exceedance of criteria for the most recent seven years compared to the exceedance rate during TMDL development. 

Annually, DEP works with stakeholders to track BMAP project implementation and to review progress. The updated project list for the prior calendar year is presented by July 1 in the Statewide Annual Report. A complete project list can be downloaded from this  site , for those interested in detailed project information. To promote progress and implementation, BMAP stakeholders meet annually to follow up on plan implementation, share new information, and continue to coordinate TMDL restoration–related issues.  

In this BMAP, the following statements summarize the progress of the overall reductions and provide an indication of the challenges related to reducing pollutants from different sources. 

Overall

• Total phosphorus reductions are not on track to meet the total reductions required to meet the TMDLs in Lake Wauberg, Newnans Lake, Lochloosa Lake, and Orange Lake. 
• Total nitrogen reductions are not on track to meet total reductions required to meet the TMDL in Lake Wauberg, Lake Wauburg, Newnans Lake, and Lochloosa Lake. 
• Substantial progress has not been made to reduce FIB in this basin but reporting is limited. 

Urban

• After an initial period of identifying and quantifying projects, local entities have struggled to identify and fund additional urban stormwater projects to achieve the necessary reductions. 
• Implementation of source control measures is needed to decrease the amount of nutrient loading. Examples of source controls include public education and local ordinances to address residential fertilizer, over-irrigation, and pet waste. 

Agriculture

• Many agricultural producers are compliant in their requirements to enroll in applicable BMPs or conduct water quality monitoring.  
• Since owner-implemented BMPs are also cost effective, these BMPs may have been implemented prior to enrollment and are, therefore, not a new reduction in loading. 
• As agricultural loadings are an important source of loadings in this BMAP, regional projects and cost-share BMPs, which are the responsibility of the state, need to be identified and implemented to reduce agricultural loads. 

Wastewater

• The wastewater loads have been allocated in the TMDLs and are incorporated into the applicable permits.   

• The wastewater provisions in the BMAP have not yet been fully implemented but will be added as permits are renewed.

• Additional domestic wastewater reductions are expected as a result of new legislation that expands the requirements for advanced treatment of wastewater.  

OSTDS

• This BMAP did not specify reduction requirements for OSTDS; however, enhancement or septic-to-sewer conversion projects are included as applicable projects. Future BMAP updates will include additional provisions to address OSTDS loads and to meet new legislative requirements. 

Bacteria

• More source identification efforts are needed to prioritize elimination of high-risk sources. 

More information on progress in the Orange Creek BMAP can be found in the latest  Statewide Annual Report .