Springs Fever: A Field & Recreation Guide to 500 Florida Springs.
3rd Edition by Joe Follman and Richard Buchanan

COL1012972 Spring

Columbia County

Summary of Features

  • Scale - 2nd magnitude
  • Scenery - excellent
  • How Pristine? - completely pristine
  • Swimming - poor
  • Protection - unknown/private
  • Crowds - none
  • Access - water only
  • Facilities - none
  • Safety - very good
  • Scuba - yes
  • Cost - free

Directions

From Ft. White, drive south on State Road 47 about five miles to the bridge over the Santa Fe River. Approximately ½ mile upriver fromthe boat ramp, on the northeast side. The spring is a few minutes downstream of COL1012971 and about 2 minutes' paddle upstream of Myrtle's Fissure. The spring is also directly across from the head of a small island and GIL1012973, a large first-magnitude spring in the riverbed at the head of the island.

Spring Description

The spring is a narrow fissure, akin to several other such springsalong the Santa Fe River (e.g., Myrtle's Fissure, Little Devil, Allen). The spring is perhaps 60 feet long and 6 feet across at the top of the limestone opening, which is against the limestone bank. Water in the spring was clear and dark blue at dusk on date of visit (summer 2000), and a boil was visible. Hornsby & Ceryak describe the fissure as 70 feet long and 47 feet deep (1998, p. 31). The spring pool is triangular, with the fissure perpendicular to the river and forming a 200-foot run that is parallelto the river and flowing in the same direction. The run is 10-20 feet wide and several feet deep. The land around the spring is thick, mature, floodplain forest.

Use/Access

Personal Impressions

The spring is very attractive and in an undisturbed setting. The run can be missed easily by boats traveling downriver but is easier to spot when going upriver..

Nearby Springs

Other Nearby Natural Features