Madison Blue Spring
Madison Blue Spring is a first magnitude spring in Madison County in the Suwannee River Water Management District. Madison Blue is a designated Outstanding Florida Spring. Its 150-foot spring run flows into the Withlacoochee River. The spring and the surrounding mixed hardwood and pines are in the Madison Blue Spring State Park, which is an international hotspot for cave diving. Over 26,000 feet of subsurface passages have been explored in the park. Other recreation opportunities include birding, fishing, paddling, swimming, tubing, and scuba diving.
In 2016, the Florida Legislature passed the Florida Springs and Aquifer Protection Act.
Madison Blue Springs 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 Madison Blue Springs springshed within the Suwannee River Water Management District, as well as a map of the land use within the Madison Blue Springs 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 – Suwannee River Basin Management Action Plan
USGS – Water Data – Madison Blue Springs
SRWMD – MFL report – Madison Blue Springs
SRWMD – Current Conditions – Madison Blue Springs
FGS – First Magnitude Springs of Florida
FSI – Middle Suwannee River Springs Restoration Plan
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.
