Springs are the direct result of rain water. Rain water is usually very pure and clean. Many people collect it as drinking water all over the world.
As the rain comes down here in the hills of Central Florida much of it soaks into the ground and creates an aquifer, a huge underground storage area for all that pure clean rain water. As more rain falls in the sandy hills that are at higher elevations there comes a point that some of it starts to leak out of the ground at lower elevations.
Elevations are always measured at how high the land is above sea level. In Florida the highest point is Britton Hill, it is 345 feet above sea level. Many areas around Ocala and the hills of Lecanto are at least 50 feet above sea level with many places 100 to 200 feet in elevation.
What happens is, when the rain falls and the land absorbs the water, gravity pulls it down into the earth filling up our aquifer. The land and our aquifer can only hold so much water and eventually a spring pops up and we have flow.
Our Rainbow River consists of many spring vents bubbling up at about 35 foot elevation creating the beautiful clear freshwater we see today. But all is not well with the river. After years of human development we see a decline in water quality, diminished flow and more muck and invasive plants in the water.
Why is this happening? Let’s look at the springshed, that is the land that absorbs the rainwater and supplies the aquifer with water that can eventually come out of our spring vents in the Rainbow River. Why is so much nitrogen pollution ending up in the groundwater?
One of the main culprits is excessive use of fertilizer on lawns and golf courses. If too much fertilizer is used, the excess is washed into the ground when it rains. The key to solving this problem is, either stop fertilizing or, only use the bare minimum so it goes to the plants you are feeding and there is no excess that washes into the aquifer when we get heavy rains.
The Rainbow River springshed is several hundred square miles. Some areas directly recharge the aquifer while other areas absorb the water more slowly. All areas in the springshed have value and should be respected in regards to anything dumped on the ground.
In other words, let’s not over fertilize our lawns and golf courses and let’s identify any sources of contamination that can be stopped or fixed or cleaned up. There is a state program now that helps upgrade old leaking septic systems to sewer systems that will also help reduce nitrogen contamination of our groundwater.
Our freshwater springs provide us with an ecological value that is truly amazing and people come from all over the world to see them, kayak and swim in them. The aquatic life in a healthy spring seems magical when you take the time to dive or snorkel and see what it looks like underwater.
We should encourage the restoration and protection of our forests and wetlands in our springsheds to keep our springs healthy as they filter the water entering our aquifer and also trap carbon air pollution. We need to plant more trees like live oaks that provide more shade that palm trees. As lands are cleared for development and highways we should plant at least the same amount of trees that were removed elsewhere.
As we cleanup and restore the lower Rainbow River let’s keep protecting the upper Rainbow River by taking good care of our springshed. For more information on our Rainbow River Restoration project please visit our website OneRakeataTime.org
Many thanks,
Art Jones