Econfina Creek
Econfina Creek is a small river in the middle Florida Panhandle. It flows through hilly country, and has sections of whitewater rapids. Much of its flow comes from springs. The river ends at Deer Point Lake, a reservoir that provides the freshwater supply for Panama City and much of Bay County.
The name "Econfina" derives from the Creek ekana, which means "earthy", and feno, which means "bridge" or "footlog", referring to a natural bridge that crossed the river about 15 miles (24 km) upstream form its mouth until it collapsed in the 19th century. The Penscola - St. Augustine road (the Bellamy Road) built in the 1820s crossed this natural bridge.
Econfina Creek arises in the southwest corner of Jackson County, flows into Bay County, thence into Washington County, and returns to Bay County to end in Deer Point Lake. Deer Point Lake is a reservoir that empties directly into North Bay, an arm of St. Andrews Bay. Econfina Creek is 26 miles (42 km) long and has a watershed of 275 square miles (710 km2).
Econfina Creek flows through a hilly limestone karst landscape, and there are springs, sinkholes, caves and rock outcrops along the river. One cave by the river is the only known location for a species of snail (Dasyscias franzi) that feeds on wood carried into the cave by beavers. The vegetation along the river includes plants typical of the Appalachian mountains, but rarely found in Florida.
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