OPEN FILE REPORT NO. 85


 LEVY COUNTY

 Fanning Springs

 Location Lat. 290 35' 15.3" N,
 Long. 820 56' 07.1" W (SW 14 NE
 % NW 1 sec. 29, T. 10 S, R. 14 E).
 Fanning Springs is located in
 Fanning Springs Park in the
 town of Fanning Springs. Park
 entrance is located on the east
 side of the Suwannee River on
 US 98/19/27. Follow access road
 to parking lot. Spring vent is
 southwest of parking area.

 Description At Fanning
 Springs, Big Fanning Spring is in
 a conical depression with steep
 sandy and limestone banks. The
 vent area is nearly funnel
 shaped, with a sandy bottom and
 limestone sides, and it issues
 from the southeast side of the
 depression. The main vent
 issues horizontally from a small
 orifice in the limestone, however,
 multiple small boils in the sandy
 bottom were present when the
 spring was visited. Also, there
 are numerous tiny spring seeps
 flowing into the spring pool from
 the limestone banks. The water
 is bluish and clear. The spring
 Figure 53. Fanning Spring (photo by H. Means). pool measures 207 ft (63 m) north
 to south and 144 ft (44 m) east to
west. Depth of the spring pool measured over the vent is 12 ft (3.7 m). There is native
aquatic grass in much of the shallow spring pool. Some patches of algae are present in the
spring pool. There are cypress and gum trees along both sides of the spring run. Floating
walkways and swimming ropes exist in the spring pool. The clear spring run flows north
briefly before turning westward and flowing approximately 450 ft (137 m) to the tannic
Suwannee River. Boat traffic from the river is not allowed past a floating wooden walkway
across spring run. There is adjacent sandy high ground on the south and east sides of the
spring. Elevations rise steeply to approximately 20 ft (6 m) above water level. The slopes
are lush with ferns and mosses. Atop the high ground, there are pines and hardwoods scat-
tered about.