Florida’s Springs: Our Precious Resource

Florida’s Springs: Our Precious Resource. Silver Springs State Park. , Geologists estimate that there are over 600 springs in Florida producing more than 8 billion gallons of water a day. Thirty-three are First Magnitude springs, each with flow of over 65 million gallons per day. This is the largest concentration of freshwater springs on earth!, The reason for the abundance of springs is a terrain called Karst. It is formed by rainwater entering the ground and dissolving the limestone bedrock, forming sinkholes, caverns, and springs. The underground river in the porous limestone is called the Florida Aquifer, the source of 90% of the state's drinking water. Springs are "windows" on the aquifer. What we see flowing out of the springs is what is in the aquifer. Think of springs as not the beginning but the "end of the pipe," after the water has completed its journey through the ground and under towns, farms, businesses and lawns., Silver Springs Facts , Probably the largest First Magnitude Spring in the United States and one of the world's largest, with a daily flow that has averaged over 500 million gallons per day., Consists of 30 springs with 61 vents (openings for water flow). The largest, Mammoth or Main Spring that you can see here at the park, has a vent measuring 5 feet by 135 feet at a depth of 30 feet., Water temperature is 72 degrees year-round., The water is about 20 years old, which means its journey started as rainfall 20 years ago., Forms the Silver River, flowing 4½ miles to the Ocklawaha River., Has attracted people here for over 12,000 years., Was designated as a National Natural Landmark by the U.S. Department of the Interior in 1972., Has a recharge area, where the water originates, of over 750 square miles., Please help preserve this precious resource. Whether you are a Florida resident or visitor, protecting Florida's springs is everyone's responsibility., (caption) Spring Vent, where water emerges from underground