Water bodies, watersheds and storm water
Deep Creek
The State Road 46 bridge is seen near Deep Creek.
Deep Creek is in portions of southern Volusia and northeastern Seminole counties, covering almost 274 square miles. Deep Creek provides a connection to the St. Johns River for Lake Ashby in Volusia County. Another major feature within the Deep Creek subbasin is Lake Harney, which is actually a widened section of the St. Johns River, with the river flowing into and out of Lake Harney. Lake Harney is a shallow lake, and is just one of the two lakes that form within the St. Johns River and are located within the middle basin — the other is Lake Monroe located further downstream.
The Deep Creek subbasin is mostly undeveloped, but is in a region where there has been much development. Road improvements have been ongoing in the area to accommodate the growth in central Florida over several decades and to move the tourist traffic.
Though significant areas are currently undeveloped, some residents experience flooding because structures were built in the 100‑year floodplain before regulations were established that govern construction in wetlands and low-lying areas. Water quality problems have been identified in the Deep Creek subbasin, and the St. Johns River Water Management District is performing scientific evaluations and computer model simulations to help identify the problems and to recommend actions to address the issues.
Solutions
Through a variety of projects, the District and its partners have purchased environmentally sensitive land and enhanced wetlands and floodplains, preserved habitat for scrub jays and other wildlife, and are encouraging large landowners to conserve property as “conservation corridors.”
The District is exploring options in the Deep Creek subbasin where water quality improvement can be provided by enhancing natural features within District-owned lands to increase water flow paths and storage. Water quality improvement activities would result in lower amounts of nutrients going into the St. Johns River from the Deep Creek subbasin.
Contact information
For more information about Deep Creek, contact Mary Brabham, senior project manager, at (407) 659‑4829 or mbrabham@sjrwmd.com.
Updated on 1-2-2013
