Homosassa Springs Group
Homosassa is a first magnitude spring group located in Citrus County in the Southwest Florida Water Management District, within Ellie Schiller Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park. The Homosassa Spring Group is designated as an Outstanding Florida Spring and consists of a cluster of over 30 springs which collectively discharge to form the 8-mile-long Homosassa River. Homosassa Spring vents 1, 2, and 3 stand out as the crown jewels of the cluster. Differences in the salinity and water quality of vent flows allow both fresh and saltwater fish to exist in the headwaters. In the winter, these diverse fish live alongside large numbers of manatees who swim upstream for the warmer spring water. Homosassa State Park hosts some of the most diverse and abundant wildlife in Florida, both in the water and on the land. It is no wonder that Native Floridians used the site as a vibrant fishing grounds for thousands of years. Later, Homosassa Springs served as a privately owned tourist attraction with a menagerie of exotic animals until it ultimately became a state park. Today the still-beautiful spring faces challenges of water quality and quantity as its springshed drains a 270 square mile region containing many farms and citrus plantations.
In 2016, the Florida Legislature passed the Florida Springs and Aquifer Protection Act.
Homosassa Spring Group is currently one of the twenty four Outstanding Florida Springs or Springs Groups that is considered “impaired”.
Historic images
The following images were provided courtesy of the State Archives of Florida. This incredible photographic library provides a window into the historic spring landscape, documenting changing spring and surface water levels, as well as human use and development in this special location.
Science Hub
This is the location for access to data related to this spring. Below, you will find links to reports, data, as well as maps and information from the Florida Springs Institute’s Blue Water Audit project about this particular spring or spring group.
The Blue Water Audit is a tool developed by the Florida Springs Institute to estimate and visualize the impact of human activities on the Floridan Aquifer. Using existing data from a variety of sources, the Blue Water Audit estimates nitrogen loading and groundwater withdrawals for the Florida Springs Region. These estimates are used to assign Aquifer Footprints – a Floridan Aquifer Nitrogen Footprint (water quality) and a Floridan Aquifer Groundwater Footprint (water quantity). Below are maps of the Blue Water Audit Floridan Aquifer Nitrogen footprint for the Homosassa springshed within the Southwest Florida Water Management District, as well as a map of the land use within the Homosassa springshed. To find out more about the Blue Water Audit project and to learn how this tool was developed, visit Blue Water Audit.
DATA AND REPORTS
FDEP – Homosassa and Chassahowitzka Spring Group BMAP
FDEP – Nutrient TMDLs for Homosassa – Trotter – Pumphouse Springs Group
USGS – Water Data – Homosassa Springs
SWFWMD – Homosassa Springs Data Dashboard
SWFWMD – Reevaluation of Minimum Levels for the Homosassa River System
SWFWMD – Peer Review of Reevaluation of MFLs for Homosassa
FGS – First Magnitude Springs of Florida
FSI – SpringsWatch – Homosassa
FSI – Homosassa SpringsWatch 2020 Monitoring Report
FSI – Homosassa SpringsWatch 2019 Monitoring Report
The Interactive Florida Springs Atlas was produced with generous support from the Fish & Wildlife Foundation of Florida. The Community Foundation of North Central Florida supported this project through our Blue Water Audit project.
