The Wakulla Springs Woodville Karst Plain Symposium October 9, 1998
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THE WAKULLA SPRINGS WOODVILLE KARST PLAIN SYMPOSIUM OCTOBER 9, 1998 TRANSACTIONS COMPILED AND EDITED BY WALTER SCHMIDT, JACQUELINE M. LLOYD AND CINDY COLLIER FLORIDA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY SPECIAL PUBLICATION NO. 46 STATE OF FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION David B. Struhs, Secretary DIVISION OF RESOURCE ASSESSMENT AND MANAGEMENT Edwin J. Conklin, Director FLORIDA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY Walter Schmidt, State Geologist and Chief SPECIAL PUBLICATION NO. 46 THE WAKULLA SPRINGS WOODVILLE KARST PLAIN SYMPOSIUM – TRANSACTIONS OCTOBER 9, 1998 Compiled by Walter Schmidt, Jacqueline M. Lloyd and Cindy Collier Published by the FLORIDA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY Tallahassee, Florida 2000 LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL FLORIDA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY April 2000 Governor Jeb Bush Florida Department of Environmental Protection Tallahassee, FL 32301 Dear Governor Bush: The Florida Geological Survey (FGS), Division of Resource Assessment and Management, Department of Environmental Protection, is publishing as our Special Publication No. 46, the Transactions from the Wakulla Springs – Woodville Karst Plain Symposium, held at the FSU Center for Professional Development on October 9th, 1998. This conference brought together numerous professionals involved with natural sciences and resources research and land-use planning on the Woodville Karst Plain, located between the Cody Scarp and the Gulf of Mexico coast in the big bend of north Florida. This conference demonstrated the usefulness and need for multidiscipline research expertise to address holistic environmental conservation concerns. This successful gathering also served as the kick-off for Earth Science Week in Florida. We hope this week in the future will serve to highlight other events which demonstrate the importance of understanding applied earth sciences to the future of Florida and our environmental sustainability. Respectively yours, Walter Schmidt, Ph.D., P.G. State Geologist & Chief Florida Geological Survey /ws ii This collection of papers represents the authors written manuscript of their talk presented at the Wakulla Springs Karst Plain Symposium. The editors have reviewed the submitted texts for basic spelling errors and gross figure irregularity and prepared necessary reformatting of text for consistency. Interpretive concepts, figures, and other professional opinions are clearly the responsibility of the authors and no endorsement by the Florida Geological Survey or the Department of Environmental Protection is intended. Authors who presented their talk but were not able to provide a complete manuscript are represented here by their abstract. Printed for the Florida Geological Survey TALLAHASSEE, FL 2000 ISSN 0085-0640 iii PREFACE The first annual Earth Science Week was celebrated the second full week of October in 1998. This celebration was initially conceived by the American Geological Institute to celebrate their 50th anniversary. The Association of American State Geologists representing the 50 State Geological Surveys immediately supported the concept to raise the visibility and awareness of the Earth Sciences among the public and professional environmental community. Over thirty Governors had signed proclamations designating Earth Science Week within their respective State, Congress adopted a resolution into the Congressional record designating such, and President Clinton saluted the effort by signing a letter recognizing the contributions earth science makes to society and the well being of all Americans. In Florida, Governor Chiles signed a proclamation designating October 11-17, 1998, as Earth Science Week in Florida. One of the goals of Earth Science Week is to encourage geoscientists to do something in their community to promote earth science understanding and to foster further appreciation for the subject. In Florida, we at the Florida Geological Survey viewed this as a logical and natural means to promote what the Florida Department of Environmental Protection had been endorsing for several years, namely – holistic ecosystem management concepts. This management principle must be based on sound scientific understanding of our natural physical systems and their interconnectedness to be successful. Three activities were organized to kick-off Earth Science Week and to highlight these issues in the Big Bend of Florida. On Friday, October 9, 1998, scientists, land and water managers, and others with an interest in the science behind the Wakulla Springs Basin and its water resources, came together at the Wakulla Springs Karst Plain Symposium at the FSU Center for Professional Development, in Tallahassee, FL. Participants included geologists, hydrogeologists, biologists, botanists, cave divers, engineers, land use and resource managers and planners, government officials, and the public. This publication represents a compilation of the papers presented at the symposium on that day. Mr. Kirby Green, the Deputy Secretary of the Department of Environmental Protection provided introductory and welcoming remarks to those in attendance. This was followed by comments from the Honorable Janegale Boyd, Representing District 10 in the Florida House of Representatives (which covers most of the area covered by the symposium presentations). Representative Boyd is an active and dedicated member of the House Water Resources Management Committee. On Saturday, October 10th, the public was the primary focus at the Wakulla Springs Earth Science Fair. Beginning at 10 a.m. at the Wakulla Springs State Park, the Fair gave everyone the chance to enjoy and learn more about this valuable resource. Exhibits explained the importance of karst geology to the springs, the threats to water quality throughout the Wakulla Springs Basin, and how cave divers have mapped the underground cave system that brings water to the Springs. Demonstrations and field trips also were incorporated into the day’s activities by the many agencies and various firms participating. The demonstrations covered several aspects of water quality monitoring, the use of satellites for mapping systems such as the network of caves that lead into the springs, how divers negotiated the caves, the damage done to local ecosystems by exotic plants -- and more. Visitors were able to take field trips to see some of the sinkholes and springs that are important components of the Wakulla Springs system and learn how they offer avenues through which pollution can enter the spring system. Visitors also were able to take the river boat and glass-bottom boat tours of the springs to learn more about the waters that bubble up from deep in the earth, and the ecosystems around the spring and river. The park entrance fee was waived during the Fair. The Fair was sponsored and organized by the Florida Department of iv Environmental Protection, the Florida Geological Survey, the Florida Association of Professional Geologists and the Wakulla Springs Water Quality Working Group, which is composed of all the federal, regional, state, and local agencies that are working to protect water quality in the springs. Over 1,200 people attended the day’s festivities. On the following Monday, October 12, 1998, the Florida Geological Survey hosted an Open House at the Herman Gunter Building, the headquarters of the FGS in Tallahassee, FL. Geoscience colleagues, environmentalists, government employees, friends, and the public attended to view FGS displays, and learn about our programs and facilities. All in all the first Earth Science Week was a very successful event for the geological community in north Florida. The FGS hopes to orchestrate continuing outreach activities in Florida during Earth Science Week on an annual basis. Walt Schmidt, Ph.D., P.G. State Geologist & Chief Florida Geological Survey v TABLE OF CONTENTS Page Schmidt/Earth Systems Understanding: The Foundation of Environmental Regulatory Support, Land-Use Planning Decisions, Natural Resources Conservation, and the Basis of Ecosystem Management 1 Rupert/Regional and Local Geologic Setting of the Woodville Karst Plain 4 Clemens, Hatchett, Hartnett/Hydrogeology of the St. Marks River Basin 11 Davis/Regional Hydrology of the Upper Floridan Aquifer of North-Central Florida and Southwestern Georgia (Abstract Only) 21 Chen, Donoghue, Hoenstine, Rupert, Spencer, Ladner, Lane, Faught/A Buried Karst Plain on the Northeastern Gulf of Mexico Shelf, NW Florida: Origin and Relation to Onshore Karst 22 Singleton/St. Marks River Basin: Water Resource Vulnerability (Abstract Only) 26 Werner/Determination of Groundwater Flow Patterns From Cave Exploration in the Woodville Karst Plain, Florida 37 Cowart, Osmond, Dabous, Miller, Cao/Uranium and Strontium Isotope Character of Waters in theWakulla Karst Plain 45 Katz/Hydrochemical Interactions Between Ground Water and Surface Water in the Woodville Karst Plain, Northern Florida (Abstract Only) 61 Maddox/The Big Picture: Aquifer Vulnerability Mapping Efforts in the Woodville Karst Plain of Northern Florida (Abstract Only) 62 Burnett, Chanton, Rutkowski, Corbett, Dillon, Cable/Tracing Groundwater Flow into the Northeastern Gulf of Mexico Coastal Zone (Abstract Only) 63 Pratt/Physical Framework For Understanding Floridan Aquifer Groundwater Flow and Nutrient Transport within the Woodville Karst Plain (Abstract Only) 64 Lane/The Spring Creek Submarine Springs Group, Wakulla County, Florida 65 Kwader/Restoration of the Floridan Aquifer to Potable Conditions, St. Marks Peninsula, St. Marks, Florida 78 Macmillan/St. Marks River Watershed Surface Water Improvement and Management (SWIM) Program