OPEN FILE REPORT NO. 85


 FIRST MAGNITUDE SPRINGS OF FLORIDA
 by
 Thomas M. Scott, P.G. #99, Guy H. Means, Ryan C. Means, Rebecca P. Meegan


 INTRODUCTION

The bank was dense with magnolia and loblolly bay, sweet gum and gray-barked ash. He
went down to the spring in the cool darkness of their shadows. A sharp pleasure came over
him. This was a secret and a lovely place. Marjory Kinnan Rawlings, The Yearling, 1938

 Mysterious, magical, even "awesome" springs elicit an emotional response from near-
ly everyone who peers into the crystalline depths. The cool, clear, azure waters of Florida's
springs have long been a focus of daily life during the humid, hot months of the year. Many
Floridians have a lifetime of memories surrounding our springs. Visit any spring during the
muggy months and you will find people of all ages partaking of Nature's soothing remedy -
spring water! Marjory Stoneman Douglas, the granddame of Florida environmentalists,
stated that "Springs are bowls of liquid light." Al Burt (writer/author) observed that
"Springs add a melody to the land."

 Springs and spring runs have been a focal point of life, from prehistoric times to the
present. Undoubtedly, the ancient issuing of cool, fresh water attracted animals now long
absent from Florida's landscape. Many a diver has recovered fossil remains from the state's
spring runs and wondered what the forest must have looked like when the animals roamed
the spring-run lowlands.

 Human artifacts, found in widespread areas of the state, attest to the importance of
springs to Florida's earliest inhabitants. The explorers of Florida, from Ponce de Leon to
John and William Bartram and others, often mentioned the subterranean discharges of
fresh water that were scattered across central and northern Florida. As colonists and set-
tlers began to inhabit Florida, springs continued to be the focus of human activity, becom-
ing sites of missions, towns and steamboat landings. Spring runs provided power for grist-
mills. Baptisms were held in the clear, cool waters and the springs often served as water
supplies for local residents. Today, even bottled water producers are interested in utilizing
these waters. Some springs have been valued for their purported therapeutic effects and
people flocked to them to soak in the medicinal waters (Figure 1).

 The recreational opportunities provided by the state's springs are numerous.
Swimming, snorkeling, diving and canoeing are among the most common activities center-
ing around Florida's springs. The springs and spring runs are magnets for wildlife and, sub-
sequently, draw many individuals and groups to view these animals in their natural sur-
roundings.

 Spring water is a natural discharge from the Floridan aquifer system, the state's pri-
mary aquifer, and the springs provide a "window" into the aquifer allowing for a measure of
the health of the aquifer. Chemical and biological constituents that enter the aquifer
through recharge processes may affect the water quality and flora and fauna of springs and