Ochlockonee River and Bay

The Ochlockonee River and Bay watershed covers approximately 2,476 square miles from the red hills of southern Georgia through the Big Bend of Florida. The watershed includes the Ochlockonee River and Ochlockonee Bay, together with their contributing drainage basin. Among the tributary streams within the watershed are Telogia Creek, the Little River, and the Sopchoppy River. Also prominent within the watershed are a number of lakes, including lakes Jackson, Iamonia, Hall, and Overstreet, as well as Tucker Lake within Bald Point State Park and the Lake Talquin Reservoir on the Ochlockonee River.

Ochlockonee River and Bay SWIM Plan

The purpose of the Ochlockonee River and Bay Surface Water Improvement and Management (SWIM) Plan is to provide a framework for resource management, protection, and restoration using a watershed approach. Protecting and restoring watershed resources is a shared responsibility on the part of numerous watershed stakeholders, including local governments, state and federal agencies, private businesses, and the public. It requires building upon past accomplishments to encompass a wide range of management approaches. Protecting and restoring watershed resources is a shared responsibility on the part of numerous watershed stakeholders, including local governments, state and federal agencies, private businesses, and the public. It requires building upon past accomplishments to encompass a wide range of management approaches. Addressing continuing challenges affecting water quality and natural systems requires a range of strategies. Among these are additional improvements in the treatment and management of stormwater runoff; continued implementation of best management practices for agriculture, silviculture, and construction; and additional efforts to improve wastewater treatment and management. To complement these, long-term protection of critical habitats and associated buffer areas will further help protect water resources. The Ochlockonee River and Bay SWIM plan incorporates and supersedes the Lake Jackson Management Plan, last approved in 1997. Projects identified in the plan include the following:

• Stormwater Planning and Retrofit
• Septic Tank Abatement
• Advanced Onsite Treatment Systems
• Agriculture and Silviculture BMPs
• Basinwide Sedimentation Abatement
• Riparian Buffer Zones
• Aquatic, Hydrologic and Wetland Restoration
• Estuarine Habitat Restoration
• Strategic Land Conservation
• Watershed Stewardship Initiative
• Sub-basin Restoration Plans
• Lake Jackson Management Plan
• Wastewater Treatment and Management Improvements
• Interstate Coordination
• Analytical Program Support
• Comprehensive Monitoring Program

For more information, please contact Paul Thorpe at Paul.Thorpe@nwfwater.com or (850) 539-5999.

Supporting Documents

Water Supply Assessments

Effects of Septic Systems in the Lake Jackson Watershed

Hydrogeology of the Northwest Florida Water Management District (1996)