The Little Hatchet Creek watershed is located in the northeastern quadrant of the city of Gainesville and extends into unincorporated Alachua County encompassing approximately 20 square miles . The Creek flows from west to east, ultimately discharging into Newnans Lake , and is comprised of two main branches, the North Branch and South Branch.
DESCRIPTION
Residential, commercial, and institutional land uses dominate the western portion of the watershed. Located close to the headwaters of Little Hatchet Creek, the Murphree Wellfield and Water Treatment Plant provides potable water to Gainesville from the Floridan aquifer. Facilities in the northern section of the watershed include the Alachua County Animal Services compound, the Airport Industrial Park, the Alachua Solid Waste Transfer Station, and the Alachua County Household Hazardous Waste Collections Center. The Ironwood Golf Course is situated in the western part of the watershed and owned by the City of Gainesville. Gum Root Park and the Gum Root Swamp Conservation Area, located north of Newnans Lake, are passive recreation areas that encompass 741 acres of forested wetlands and upland scrubby flatwoods.
FLORA AND FAUNA
Many areas in Little Hatchet Creek have diverse habitats that support a wide array of avian, reptilian, and mammalian species. Portions of the the watershed are also a refuge for rare migrant species such as the black-headed gull spotted at the north end of Newnans Lake in May 2000. A good place to visit Little Hatchet Creek is the Gum Root Swamp Park and Conservation Area. This area provides remarkable contiguous, diverse, and productive natural habitats capable of supporting a range of floral and faunal populations. Adjacent wetland habitats support many species, sustain water-dependent species such as fish and wading birds, and serve as wildlife corridors for many vertebrate species. Distinct among other areas in the watershed, Gum Root Swamp habitats include floodplain forests of bald cypress and blackgum trees, upland scrubby pine flatwoods, pond cypress domes, and mesic hardwoods.
WATER QUALITY
Little Hatchet Creek mostly flows through commercial areas which generate both point and nonpoint sources of pollution. The predominant source of nonpoint pollution in the Little Hatchet Creek watershed is untreated stormwater runoff which includes runoff from the Ironwood Golf Course and from the large number of automotive businesses located in close proximity to the creek. Golf course runoff often contains fertilizers which add nutrients which are detrimental to the water quality, and r unoff from vehicles containing petroleum products is also a potential source of pollution in the watershed. The Brittany Estates Mobile Home community, located west of Waldo Road and south of NE 53 rd Avenue, consists of 300 mobile home sites and treats its own wastewater with a 0.06 MGD state-permitted package treatment plant. After treatment, reclaimed water is discharged to a 0.6 acre polishing pond before entering the North Branch of Little Hatchet Creek. Laboratory sample data collected by both the facility and by the ACEPD often show elevated concentrations of nutrients in the reclaimed water. The Airport Industrial Park, located east of Waldo Road and north of the Gainesville Regional Airport, houses several facilities regulated by the Alachua County Hazardous Materials Management Code, all of which have the potential to contribute point source pollution to the watershed.
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. Although some segments of Little Hatchet Creek contain adequate habitat to potentially support a diverse and healthy populations of macroinvertebrates and other aquatic species, many sections of the creek, especially those near the Waldo Road commercial/industrial district, are lacking natural features including sinuousity and native riparian buffers.

Little Hatchett Creek, Gainesville, Florida