WATER RESOURCES OF ORANGE COUNTY 61
1.15 cfs per square mile. Average runoff from the area is estimated at 15.6 inches.
During the low flow period from June 14 to 17, 1960, the dissolved mineral content in the water in the small tributaries draining eastward into the St. Johns River was estimated from conductivity measurements to range from 33 ppm in Taylor Creek to 86 ppm in Second Creek. The mineral content in the water in Christmas Creek was estimated on basis of its conductivity, to be 52 ppm on May 24, 1961, when the other small tributaries were dry.
Lake Pickett
Lake Pickett and its contributary drainage area occupy 8.1 square miles. Mills Creek drains Lake Pickett to the Econlockhatchee River. Altitudes in the Lake Pickett drainage basin range from 60 to 75 feet.
The hardness of the water in Mills Creek at Chuluota (station 53) on May 24, 1961, was 7 ppm and the mineral content, estimated from its conductivity, was 21 ppm. The pH of the water was 5.9 indicating that it is slightly corrosive. The water quality of Lake Pickett is similar to that of Mills Creek.
Econlockhatchee River
The Econlockhatchee River drains 117 square miles of Orange County. The width of drainage basin ranges from 2.5 to 9.5 miles with the average in Orange County being 6.2 miles. The basin is about 14 miles east of Orlando and spans the county from south to north. The drainage from 17 square miles of the basin in Osceola County enters Orange County. Altitudes in the Econlockhatchee River basin in Orange County range from 20 to 90 feet. Figure 27 shows profiles of the beds of Econlockhatchee River and several of its tributaries.
The Econlockhatchee River basin and the area drained by small tributaries to the St. Johns River are unusual for Orange County in that they contain only three lakes of significant size. These basins do, however, contain many swamps and marshes.
Continuous records of the flow of the Econlockhatchee River near Chuluota (station 19) have been collected since 1936, and periodic measurements of the flow of the Econlockhatchee River near Bithlo (station 18) have been made since September 1959. The maximum flow of record at station 19 was 11,000 cfs and at