FLORIDA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY


 Characteristics of Spring Water

 Spring water discharges provide a means of determining the quality of water in the
aquifer from which the water flows. Upchurch (1992) states that a number of factors influ-
ence ground-water chemistry. These include the precipitation chemistry, surface conditions
at the site of recharge, soil type in the recharge area, mineralogy and composition of the
aquifer system, nature of aquifer system porosity and structure, flow path in the aquifer,
residence time of the water in the aquifer, mixing of other waters in the aquifer system, and
aquifer microbiology. Refer to Upchurch (1992) for a detailed discussion of the factors affect-
ing the chemistry of groundwater.

 Descriptions of Analytes

 Water quality of springs is determined by collecting and analyzing water samples
(Figure 7). A series of field analytes are measured on site during sample collection. When
combined, field and Bureau of Laboratories data give a snapshot of water quality at that
particular time. Comparing similar data, taken over time, can give information about how
water quality changes and what may be causing these changes. Analyte descriptions uti-
lized data from Baker (1994), Champion and Starks (2001), Hornsby and Ceryak (1998),
Jones et al. (1998), Maddox et al.(1992), and Smith (1992). Table 2 gives the units of meas-
ure for each analyte.

 Table 2 Units of measurement for each analyte.


 Analyte Abbreviation Unit of Measure

Temperature C
Dissolved Oxygen DO mg/L
pH -units
Specific Conductance Sp. Cond. u S/cm at 25 C
Biochemical Oxygen Demand BOD mg/L
 T y JTU (Historical)
Turbidity
 NTU (Current)*
 Platinum Cobalt
Color Units
 Units
Alkalinity as CaCO3 mg/L
Total Dissolved Solids TDS mg/L
Total Suspended Solids TSS mg/L
Chloride Cl mg/L
Sulfate SO4 mg/L
Fluoride F mg/L
Total Organic Carbon TOC mg/L
Total Nitrogen NO3 NO2 mg/L
Total Ammonia NH3 NH4 mg/L
Total Kjeldahl Nitrogen TKN mg/L
Total Phosphorus P mg/L
Orthophosphate as P P04 mg/L
*JTU and NTU are approximately equivalent though not identical


 Unit of
 Analyte Abbreviation
 Measure
Calcium Ca mg/L
Potassium K mg/L
Sodium Na mg/L
Magnesium Mg mg/L
Arsenic As u g/L
Aluminum Al u g/L
Boron B u g/L
Cadmium Cd u g/L

Cobalt Co u g/L
Chromium Cr u g/L
Copper Cu u g/L
Iron Fe u g/L
Manganese Mn u g/L
Nickel Ni u g/L
Lead Pb u g/L
Selenium Se u g/L
Tin Sn u g/L
Strontium Sr u g/L
Zinc Zn u g/L