Protecting Florida's Springs
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Video Transcript
Narrator: Do you know where your drinking water comes from? You might be surprised to learn that over seven billion gallons of fresh water erupts daily from an underground system that lies beneath homes, farms, cities and highways.
This amazing natural resource is unique to central and north Florida. No other place in the world enjoys the quantity or quality of water that flows forth naturally from our groundwater system. Our crystalline water has lured many people to enjoy its beauty. It is hard to believe this resource could be in danger.
What makes the springs region of Florida so important and vulnerable is its karst topography. Karst is a landscape dotted with sinkholes, fractures and cracks through which water passes easily. Hidden from our view lies a network of underground rivers, water-filled caverns, and caves. These features and the water within them are known as the Floridan aquifer. They are equivalent to surface rivers, lakes, and streams. Florida's underground waterways are just as vulnerable as surface waters. Springs reflect the health of our natural environment. They are not just for recreation; they are a key indicator of the water quality beneath our homes.
The water gushing out of our springs comes directly from your local aquifer. It's your drinking water. Overuse of water and pollution along the pathways delivering water to the springs can leave a lasting legacy. It can take as long as fifteen years for water to pass through the ground and return to us in the form of a spring. In other cases water may travel as quickly as a mile per day. In order to protect and manage this vital resource, local governments know that their land use decisions will have lasting effects on our springs. The land areas that provide water to our springs are known as spring sheds. These are areas that replenish the aquifer and deliver water to your springs.
Even though the water is out of site, it is not out of harm's way. As it travels beneath our homes, busineses, farms, and highways it is affected by virtually every aspect of our daily lives. This moving water is the supply we depend on for our drinking water. The very nature of the absorbent terrain leaves it vulnerable to the introduction of containments. Water can carry containments such as fertilizers, pesticides and other chemicals. Septic and storage tanks can lead directly into the ground water and drain towards springs. Any containments carried through the ground can pollute our aquifer. The source of 90 percent of Florida's drinking water.
Springsheds are extremely vulnerable areas. Any land use of development within these areas directly affects our drinking water. We are all part of the problem yet we can all be part of the solution in protecting vulnerable areas. Sources of trouble include many different land uses. But carefully planned, most types of land use have their proper places. To safeguard our drinking resource, and our springs we must understand that protection and management happens at the community level. Land use and zoning decision made by local governments. Many people think that water management districts, state or federal agencies have complete authority to protect local water resources. The reality is the only decisions about responsible land use lie in your hands and the hands of your local elected officials.
No one wants to contaminate the water we are drinking. But poor land use decision based on lack of good information can cause this to happen. Negative effects on decisions that we made 15 or 20 years ago are being revealed now. Some wells are running dry and bacteria counts are startling. Even though spring water may look clear, it is not necessarily clean. Pollutants such as nitrates are invisible and are rising in an alarming rate in many of our springs. And in some places exceeding the safe drinking limits. This polluted water has a major impact on our ecosystems effecting businesses recreation, and our economy. Yet armed with the most current information on how to prevent pollution we can reverse this alarming trend.
We are at a critical turning point in Florida's history. This is the last chance we have to insure that our children can share the enjoyment and prosperity that the good water brings to Floridians. We will be judged as a civilization as our ability to look out for our precious water resources. We have a chance to protect the primeval beauty that makes Florida a blessed and beautiful place. Help us protect our springs. By doing so you will be preserving our Way of life.
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Copyright 2012 Florida Department of Environmental Protection