2015 Map of Waters Lake

About this map

The borderlands of Gilchrist and Alachua Counties are defined by a landscape of karst features and scattered small-scale agriculture in this 2015 survey. The topography is marked by numerous isolated depressions and ponds, ranging from the prominent Waters Lake in the northwest to Dinner Pond and Fivemile Pond further south. These water bodies, along with Knighting Lake and Jeb Knight Pond, suggest a subterranean drainage system characteristic of the Florida lime sink region. Settlement patterns remain relatively dispersed, concentrated around the community of Newberry on the eastern edge and the smaller locality of Thames. Aviation is a notable feature of this rural landscape, with the presence of both Rush Airport and the Oak Tree Landing Strip serving the local area. The Dry Prairie Hammock provides a glimpse into the native ecology, situated among a network of county roads and section lines that grid the limestone plains.