Econfina Creek

Near where I live there is Econfina Creek in Northwest Florida. The mouth of the creek is located in Jackson County, FL and flows southwest down into Deer Point Lake. While rainwater does feed the creeks flow, the majority of the volume comes from underground aquifers and springs that have reached the surface. At the locations of each spring along the creek, you can see clear water where the flow is fast enough to push sediment away into the main part of the creek. Within the springs, the leftover sediment is large rocks and boulders that the flow cannot, on its own, push out of the spring area. The main body of the creek is murky which shows that the sediment being transported downstream is suspended in the water flow. The creek itself is in the shape of meandering channels that twist back and forth is “S” shaped curves its entire length. When traveling down the creek you can notice the erosion on the bank leaves a sharp drop off where dirt and sand are, and that the creek has carved paths through rock formations over time. Trees along the bank of the creek hold a majority of the sediment together from the normal flow of water as you can see the roots tangled into the ground and into each other for stability. Unfortunately, last year’s hurricane Michael toppled a lot of the surrounding trees into the creek and springs, leaving the location littered with large trucks of trees that need to be cleared. Work is still underway to clear most of the debris from the more popular parts of the creek for kayak and canoe trips.