Wekiva River and Springs Restoration Plan 1 WekivaWekiva River and Springs Restoration Plan 2 Wekiva River and Springs Restoration Plan Contents Acknowlegements ...................................................................................... 6 Executive Summary ................................................................................... 7 Introduction ................................................................................................ 8 Florida’s Springs ...................................................................................................................... 8 Why Springs are Important .................................................................................................... 9 Springflow Reductions ............................................................................................................ 9 Water Quality ......................................................................................................................... 12 Wekiva River System ............................................................................................................. 12 Past and Future ...................................................................................................................... 18 Environmental Setting ............................................................................. 18 General (adapted from Toth and Katz 2006)...................................................................... 18 Hydrology ............................................................................................................................... 19 Precipitation .........................................................................................................................19 Evapotranspiration .............................................................................................................19 Surface Water .......................................................................................................................19 Hydrogeology (adapted from Toth and Katz 2006) .......................................................... 31 Spring Flows, Water Quality, and Estimated Groundwater Age ................................35 Land Use, Population, and Water Permits ......................................................................... 37 Land Use/Land Cover .......................................................................................................37 Human Population .............................................................................................................38 Water Use Permits ..............................................................................................................39 Water Quality ......................................................................................................................... 39 Surface Water .......................................................................................................................39 Biology ..................................................................................................................................... 40 Plants and Algae .................................................................................................................41 Fish and Other Wildlife ......................................................................................................45 Ecosystem Functions ............................................................................................................. 49 3 Wekiva River and Springs Restoration Plan Wekiwa Springs ..................................................................................................................50 Rock Springs ........................................................................................................................51 Description of Impairments ..................................................................... 52 Physical Modifications .......................................................................................................... 52 Wekiwa Springs ..................................................................................................................52 Rock Springs Park ...............................................................................................................55 Development, Groundwater Pumping, and Spring Flow Reductions .......................... 55 Spring Flows ........................................................................................................................59 Nutrient Loading and Water Quality Violations .............................................................. 63 Aquifer Vulnerability .........................................................................................................63 Pollutant Load Reduction Goal Analysis ........................................................................63 MACTEC Nutrient Source Evaluation ............................................................................64 Fertilizer ...............................................................................................................................70 Agriculture ...........................................................................................................................70 On-Site Wastewater Treatment (Septic Tank) Systems .................................................71 Wastewater Discharges ......................................................................................................73 Stormwater ...........................................................................................................................75 Recreation ................................................................................................................................ 77 Wekiwa Springs State Park ................................................................................................77 Rock Springs County Park .................................................................................................84 Regulatory Protections ............................................................................ 90 Special Designations .............................................................................................................. 91 Aquatic Preserve (1975) ......................................................................................................92 Wekiva River Protection Area (1988) ...............................................................................92 Outstanding Florida Waters (1988) ..................................................................................93 National Wild and Scenic River (2000) ............................................................................93 Focused Environmental Protection of the Wekiva River System ................................... 93 Minimum Flows and Levels (1992) ..................................................................................93 Surface Water Improvement and Management Program (2002) .................................99 4 Wekiva River and Springs Restoration Plan Wekiva Parkway and Protection Act (2004) ...................................................................99 Department of Health Septic Tank Study (2004) ..........................................................100 FDEP Nutrient Reduction Strategies (2004) .................................................................101 Wekiva River Promise ......................................................................................................103 Pollutant Load Reduction Goals (2006) .........................................................................104 Total Maximum Daily Loads (2008) ...............................................................................105 Basin Management Action Plan (2015) ..........................................................................107 Summary of Wekiva Basin Restoration and Protection ................................................. 110 Holistic Restoration ............................................................................... 111 Vision for Recovery ............................................................................................................. 111 Water Quantity ..................................................................................................................... 112 Water Quality ....................................................................................................................... 116 Human Use and Structural Modifications ....................................................................... 118 Recommendations ................................................................................. 118 References ..……………………………………………………………120 Appendices ............................................................................................. 124 5 Wekiva River and Springs Restoration Plan Acknowlegements The Howard T. Odum Florida Springs Institute gratefully acknowledges the financial support of the Fish and Wildlife Foundation of Florida, Inc. “Protect Florida Springs” Tag Grant PFS 1516-07 for preparation of this report. A work that attempts to encompass the entirety of a subject is always reliant on the work of others. This Restoration Action Plan incorporates the work of professionals from virtually every environmental research institution and agency in Florida, including the St. Johns River Water Management District (SJRWMD), the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), the