Arbuckle Creek

Arbuckle Creek enters Highlands County just as it flows out of Lake Arbuckle, in Polk County to the north.  The Creek flows along the outer boundary of the Avon Park Bombing Range for several miles, through swamps and marshes, before entering rangeland.  Tributaries to Arbuckle Creek include Palmetto Creek and Carter Creek, and numerous smaller inflows from pastures, rangeland, sod farms, the Avon Park Correctional Institution Wastewater Treatment Facility, Spring Lake Improvement District, and some natural areas.  Some of these tributaries contribute large amounts of nitrogen and phosphorus to the creek.  The watershed of Arbuckle Creek, and Josephine Creek, have been the subject of a water sample survey conducted by the South Florida Water Management District.  A final report regarding this information should be available soon.

This office has been collecting samples from three locations on the Creek to be analyzed for nitrogen and phosphorus through the Lakewatch program, and the following water quality information is based on Lakewatch data.  The sample sites are located at the county boat ramp at the far north end of the Creek, the boat ramp on Arbuckle Creek Road, and the bridge over the Creek on US 98.  Basically, nutrient levels in Creek water increase as the Creek flows through the County into Lake Istokpoga.  Moving from north to south, phosphorus levels average 91, 119 and 179 parts per billion (ppb), indicating that concentrations more than double as the Creek flows through the county.  Changes in nitrogen are much less dramatic, averaging 1114, 1179 and 1198 ppb from the north to the south sites.  Since this water flows into Lake Istokpoga, which releases water to the Kissimmee River, Lake Okeechobee and the Everglades, phosphorus inputs to Arbuckle Creek are of special concern.  Click here to view graphs of these data.

At the present time, data indicate that Lake Istokpoga is removing phosphorus from the water before it flows out at the south end of the lake, but this may not always be the case.  Phosphorus dynamics related to Istokpoga were the subject of two studies funded by the South Florida Water Management District. Reports from these studies are available from the South Florida Water Management District (800-250-4200).  A report on watershed surveys to identify nutrient sources in the Arbuckle and Josephine Creek watersheds has also been prepared by the water management district.  Copies are available from the District and through our office.