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Lower Santa Fe Springshed: Hornsby, Poe, Ginnie and Blue Springs and their Contributing Area
The general neighborhood of the Lower Santa Fe River and Hornsby, Poe, Ginnie, and Gilchrist Blue springs includes areas to the west of Interstate 75, to the east of the Wacassassa Flats, and south of the Santa Fe River extending at least as far as the city of Newberry. In addition, portions of Columbia County north of the River and south of Ft. White are believed to be located in the springshed.
Ginnie and Blue Springs
The Ginnie Springs group and Gilchrist Blue Springs, both in Gilchrist County, lie to the north of a karst plain that is referred to as the “High Springs Gap.” Here, water in the Floridan Aquifer flows through branching conduits that are reported to diminish in size with increasing distance from the Santa Fe River. The Gap is characterized by small, highly dissected conduits and caves at around 60 to 130 feet below the land surface. In most areas of the Gap there is very little overburden on top of the limestone to provide attenuation and nutrient removal from fertilizer use, dairy runoff, and septic tank effluent. This means that there are two major issues of concern to groundwater quality in this part of the contributing area:
· Agriculture, especially dairy farming which is relatively new in North Florida and has the potential to create water quality impairment
· Population growth of residential areas, with its accompanying increases in groundwater withdrawal and land use conversions
Hornsby and Poe Springs
The water quality of Hornsby and Poe springs differs from that of Gilchrist Blue and Ginnie springs, with lower nitrate concentrations and higher total phosphorus at Poe and Hornsby. The contributing areas for Poe and Hornsby springs include areas that lie to the east of the High Springs Gap around the Cody Scarp, whose location is important to an understanding of groundwater flow in this part of north Florida. To the east of the Cody Scarp is an area in which numerous sinking streams, also known as swallets, are found. These are fed by land areas that have relatively high runoff rates and little infiltration. The streams come to an end around the margin of the Cody Scarp where they flow into underground cave systems. Dye studies completed by Alachua County Environmental Protection Department in the summer of 2005 confirmed that Cellon Creek, which flows underground at Lee Sink, and Mill Creek, which flows underground at the Mill Creek Sink adjacent to I-75, are connected to Hornsby Spring. Underground flow rates in the conduit system that connects these features were documented as being as high as ½ mile per day, according to study results (Karst Environmental Services 2006). The importance of sinking streams to Poe and Hornsby springs is that, in addition to the issues of concern listed above for Ginnie and Blue springs, stormwater runoff that affects sinking streams can affect the water quality of these springs.
It is likely that the difference in water quality between the two groups of springs is caused by the influence of surface water inflows, particularly swallets, on groundwater somewhere in their contributing area. Presumably these streams are located in the vicinity of the Cody Scarp, although it is also possible that there are areas with sinking streams or other surface water connections north of Poe Springs and the river in Columbia County. No sinking streams are known to exist in the High Springs Gap, but there are numerous sinkholes and phosphate pits.
For more information on the springshed, please visit Alachua County’s springs protection webpage.