Development is taking a toll on Florida’s precious springs

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — At Rock Springs, just north of Orlando, water gushes from a limestone cliff. Hundreds of gallons of water pour from an opening in the rock every second. Mike Cliburn, with Friends of the Wekiva River says, “This is basically rainwater that percolates down through the recharge area.”

Rock Springs is one of more than a thousand freshwater springs in Florida. Because of its unique geology, the state has one of the largest concentrations of freshwater springs anywhere in the world. They’re magnets for wildlife and for people who want to swim or paddle in crystal-clear water.

But development and pumping of groundwater are taking a toll. Some springs no longer bubble up from the aquifer and even the largest are now seeing their flow steadily reduced. State policymakers acknowledge the problem, but so far have been reluctant to do anything about it.

Florida’s springs provide important habitat for endangered and threatened species, including manatees. But they’re also important for recreation, attracting locals and visitors who come to paddle, tube or swim in the water, always at a constant 72 degrees.

Florida’s springs face an uncertain future

A boom in housing construction has led central Florida’s water management district to issue more permits allowing groundwater withdrawals. So much water is now being pumped from the aquifer that the amount that flows from Rock and nearby Wekiwa springs has gone down. And with additional construction being approved all the time, requests for groundwater permits are only increasing.

Jay Exum, with Friends of the Wekiva River says, “We know that there’s going to be such a strain on the groundwater that the result is going to be a decrease in flow at Wekiwa and Rock Springs. And they’ve said so. The water management district knows it.”

In some parts of Florida, springs have stopped flowing or become choked by algae because of low flows and pollution caused by development.

To head off more damage, Fla. Gov. Rick Scott signed a law in 2016 requiring the state’s Department of Environmental Protection to issue rules to prevent groundwater withdrawals that harm springs. For nearly a decade though, the DEP took no action. The agency finally posted draft rules late last year in response to a lawsuit filed by an environmental group, the Florida Springs Council.

The group’s executive director Ryan Smart says the new rules are essentially the same as the ones that have long been in place. “They have a lot of discretion on what those rules look like,” Smart says. “But, at the end of the day, they do have to prevent harm. And the current rules, which are the same as the rules they are proposing, do not prevent harm. “

Florida’s DEP didn’t respond to requests for an interview. Smart says the environmental group and regulators agree on one thing — Florida’s springs are in trouble. “The DEP and the water management districts have determined that significant harm, which is typically over 15% of habitat loss, is already occurring,” Smart says. “We need to stop the destruction before things get so bad that it’s ruined.”

The water that gushes from Rock Springs eventually flows into the Wekiva, one of Florida’s most unspoiled rivers. Paddling on the Wekiva, Florida’s spring-fed ecosystem looks in pretty good shape. Alligators bask on the bank, red-bellied woodpeckers fly overhead and little blue herons wade in the shallows.

But over the last two years, Orlando has been the nation’s second-fastest growing region and new residential construction is booming. Jay Exum says that’s why it’s important for the state to adopt environmental protections for the springs that were ordered by lawmakers nearly a decade ago. Exum says there need to be changes in how Floridians use their precious groundwater.

“Fifty percent of the water withdrawn from the Floridan aquifer is used to irrigate residential lawns,” Exum says. “Sure, development has an impact. But it’s what we do after the development that may cause the biggest impact. And we have the ability to change that.”

Florida’s Department of Environmental Protection is moving forward with its proposed rules. If they’re finalized as is, the Florida Springs Council says it will challenge them in court.