Lafayette Blue Spring
A designated Outstanding Florida Spring, Lafayette Blue Spring is a prime location for paddling along the Suwannee River Wilderness Trail and offers rare natural features and abundant recreational amenities at Lafayette Blue Springs State Park. This first magnitude spring is located within the Suwannee River Water Management District in Lafayette County. Steep rocky banks surround the boil, and a natural limestone bridge divides the main pool from a short run to the Suwanee River. A small human-made retention wall holds the spring level just above the river. Lafayette Blue Spring is the only discharge point for the extensive Green Sink Cave System. This system is well mapped and offers 12,000 feet of subterranean exploration for experienced divers.
In 2016, the Florida Legislature passed the Florida Springs and Aquifer Protection Act.
Lafayette Blue Springs is currently one of twenty four Outstanding Florida Springs or Spring 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 Lafayette Blue springshed within the Suwannee River Water Management District, as well as a map of the land use within the Lafayette Blue 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
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 generous support for our Blue Water Audit project.
