By Robert Knight, the Florida Springs Institute
Once compared to the greatest hydrological wonders of North America, including Niagara Falls and the Mississippi River, North Florida’s springs in the 1850s were praised for their extreme water clarity and complex ecology.
Like the Everglades in South Florida, artesian springs in North Florida continue to delight millions. Increasingly “discovered” by tourists and recreationalists from Florida and beyond, healthy springs provide waders and swimmers with the cool freshness of pure water against a unique underwater forest of aquatic plants and animals.
Faced with rampant drainage and development, the Florida Everglades, just like Florida’s springs, have struggled to stay alive. Large swaths of habitat and wild animals have been lost. The connected ecosystems in Florida Bay, Caloosahatchee River, and St. Lucie River have been decimated by altered and polluted water flows. The remaining Everglades sawgrass and sedge meadows have been compromised too by drainage and filling.
Thirty-five years ago, the death of the Everglades ecosystem was imminent. Today, through a monumental effort to save these critical lands, a lasting future is now conceivable.
Some 400 miles north of the Everglades lies 2.7 million acres of the Florida Springs Region. Its center is the Florida Springs Heartland of the Suwannee River basin, including its principal tributaries, the Santa Fe and Ichetucknee Rivers.
With a combined historic spring flow of about 4.7 billion gallons per day of fresh groundwater, this watershed rivals the Everglades in size and magnificence. More than 300 artesian springs are arranged like beautiful blue beads along these three rivers.
During historic drier times, the Suwannee and Santa Fe rivers were clear throughout their winding courses. A canoe trip on either river presented what seemed to be an endless opportunity to “springs hop” from unique spring to unique spring.
Nearly 50% of the combined flow from these springs has been lost due to excessive groundwater pumping in South Georgia and North Florida. More than 5,000 tons each year of nitrate nitrogen pollute these rivers from intensive fertilizer applications, dairies, and chicken farms. Tragically, efforts by state or federal water managers have been inadequate to stem the harmful tide of expanding water and nutrient-intensive agriculture in the Suwannee River basin.
The springs named Lafayette Blue, Troy, Fanning, and Manatee are all centerpieces of Florida’s renowned state parks and are all designated Outstanding Florida Springs. A recent study of the these Suwannee River springs found that all four first magnitude springs are ecologically dead or dying. This is despite empty promises and wasted expenditures for “springs restoration” by Florida’s state government.
Lower spring flows result in increasing flow reversals by tannic river water, “browning out” the springs for longer periods. Brown outs and increasing nutrient pollution have contributed to the loss of the native spring plant communities and aquatic fauna. Recreational swimmers and scuba divers shun springs filled with tannic waters.
Most of the Suwannee springs are covered by noxious algae, and fish are scarce. Manatees can no longer find the aquatic vegetation needed for survival. Based on a year-long quantitative assessment of springs health by the Florida Springs Institute, Lafayette Blue and Troy received F grades, Fanning received a D, and Manatee received a C+.
Tallahassee politicians want you to believe that they are concerned about our springs and that they are taking effective actions to reverse this tragedy. They don’t want the concerned public to know what is actually happening to our beloved springs.
Notwithstanding the state’s press releases, the data and our own eyes don’t lie – many of Florida’s most precious springs are dying.
Florida’s Everglades were on the brink of destruction by agriculture and urban development. But in 1988, the federal government sued Florida under the U.S. Clean Water Act. That led to the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan, and Florida’s government has joined in the recovery and protection of the Everglades.
But the inconvenient truth is that the Clean Water Act is being violated in nearly every Florida spring and in many of our lakes, rivers, and estuaries. Don’t these critical ecological jewels deserve protection also? Like the Everglades, perhaps Florida’s springs need to be in a National Park to gain the federal protection.
Please keep your eyes on www.FloridaSpringsInstitute.org for more information about our proposal for the Great Springs & Rivers National Park.
Robert Knight is Director of the Florida Springs Institute located in the Florida Springs Welcome Center at 18645 Main Street, High Springs. He is the author of “Saving Florida’s Springs – A Prescription for Springs Health and of Silenced Springs – Moving from Tragedy to Hope”.
This op-ed was originally published in the Orlando Sentinel, which is a member of The Invading Sea media collaborative. The collaborative focuses on the threats posed to Florida by the warming climate.
