Hatchett Creek is located in the northeast quadrant of Alachua County. The main channel of the creek flows west to east and empties into Newnan’s Lake. The watershed is comprised of three sub-basins that encompass approximately 65 square miles of rural land. The majority of the watershed is located outside the Gainesville city limits.
Hatchett Creek is listed as an impaired creek because it exceeds the TMDL for both iron and total coliform. According to DEP regulations, the levels of iron must be reduced by 30.8% and the total coliform must be reduced by 62%
LAND USE
Approximately 50% of the land in the Hatchet Creek Watershed is devoted to silviculture, 20% to agriculture, and 20% to natural forest habitat. Agricultural land uses include cattle, dairy, produce farms, and the 1,138-acre University of Florida IFAS Beef Research Unit. The eastern portion of the watershed is occupied by the Gum Root Swamp Conservation Area.
DESCRIPTION
The Hatchet Creek Watershed has many natural, undisturbed areas with diverse habitats Baseflow in Hatchet Creek is derived primarily from springs and seeps from the surficial aquifer system. In the headwaters, forested wetlands and pine flatwoods dominate the area. including mixed hardwood lowland forest, pristine wetlands, cypress and pine swamps, and upland longleaf pine /turkey oak associations. Rich communities comprised of native species include titi, cypress, oak, pine, red maple, hickory, dahoon holly, black gum, and sweetgum. There is a wide range of native understory and groundcover species such as redbud, azaleas, wax myrtle, mulberry, grape, royal fern, crossvine, Carolina jessamine, and fetterbush. Aquatic plants include knotweed, green arrow arum, goldenclub or never-wet, and exotic alligator weed. These diverse habitats also support many species of Florida vertebrate wildlife. Fish species such as the mosquitofish are abundant in most reaches of the creek. Common birdlife includes most of the native songbirds of the Gainesville area, woodpeckers, red-tailed hawks, osprey, and barred owls. Alligators, turkeys, and aquatic turtles are common as the stream approaches Newnan’s Lake. Silviculture comprises 50% of the land in the Hatchet Creek Watershed. The resulting monocultures of pine species greatly reduce habitat diversity and consequently faunal species diversity as well. The risk of fire is also greatly increased, as wildfires can sweep through pine plantations with great intensity.
WATER QUALITY
Most of Hatchet Creek flows through rural areas where pollution is dominated by nonpoint sources. One major point source, the Fairbanks sand pit, is located immediately south of the main channel, east of Waldo Road. The Fairbanks Pit was originally a sand borrow pit purchased by the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) in 1946 that provided sand and clay for road construction. It was subsequently used to dispose of waste and topsoil collected from roadsides and demolition and construction debris beginning in 1956. The Fairbanks pit was also used by the FDOT’s Bureau of Materials Research Laboratory to dispose of unrecyclable wastes including chlorinated solvents, asphalt waste, paint, paint thinners, and paint waste beginning in the late 1950’s. A total of 1,391 buried waste drums were removed from the site during physical closure activities between 1983 and 1990. Of these drums, 814 were empty and the remaining contained mostly asphalt. It was determined that site contamination was due to chemicals dumped on the ground or buried elsewhere in the vicinity. No records exist to document the quantity of hazardous waste that was disposed of during site operations. It is estimated that approximately 125,000 tons of contaminated soil were removed and properly disposed.
MACROINVERTEBRATES
The health of streams can also be evaluated by determining the number of pollution-sensitive benthic macroinvertebrate organisms present. These organisms, such as some snails, crawfish, aquatic worms and the larvae of dragonflies and damselflies are susceptible to degradation of water, sediment, or habitat quality and their populations respond to these cumulative factors over time. Macroinvertebrates are also important food sources for adult insects, fish, frogs and birds. Primarily due to its rural setting and the presence of conservation areas, several segments of Hatchet Creek have characteristics of a healthy ecosystem including good habitat for macroinvertebrates and other aquatic life. Near CR 225, Hatchet Creek is characterized by low, stable banks, riffles, and pools followed by segments of sediment-free root mats, snags, and leaf packs all of which support macroinvertebrate populations.

GOOD PLACES TO VISIT THIS CREEK
A good place to visit Hatchet Creek is to take a walk in UF's Austin Cary Memorial Forest or
Gum Root Swamp Conservation Area.

Do you live near Hatchett Creek? Here’s what you can do to keep your water clean and the creek healthy:

Remember that all of our creeks, one way or another, make their way to the aquifer from which we get our drinking water. The fact that the creeks eventually make their way into the giant “well” from which we draw our drinking water supply is a good reason, among many, to protect them. Increased impervious area and decreased riparian buffers lead to more runoff going into the creeks during storm events. Runoff from yards and driveways carries pollutants like automobile fluids and wastes, detergents, fertilizers, pesticides, household chemicals, pet wastes, and plain trash down the stormdrains into the creeks. Even organic yard wastes – leaves, cuttings and landscape detritus - can overload the creek system. If you ever wondered where those storm drains actually drain to, the creek is your answer. In Gainesville, the runoff can carry considerable pollution into our treasured waterways, and it does.

You can help - keep pollutants off the streets; change your oil and dispose of it sensibly, keep up the maintenance on your vehicles to prevent leaks, use pesticides and fertilizers minimally if at all, dispose of pet waste hygienically, and put trash where it belongs! If you prevent pollution from entering the aquifer, you will be doing your part to protect the health of your community.

If you are lucky enough to live on a creek, you can maintain a healthy riparian buffer with native landscaping to effectively filter pollutants from the roadways. You can sign up for a creek cleanup with Adopt-A-River, or participate in our Watershed Action Volunteer program teaching kids about watersheds, or learn to landscape a Florida Friendly Yard. All of these efforts will help to protect the creeks from pollution.