Wakulla Spring
Wakulla County’s Wakulla Spring is in the Northwest Florida Water Management District and is a designated Outstanding Florida Spring. This first magnitude spring is known as the “Gem of Northwest Florida,” and is the largest and deepest freshwater spring in the world. Wakulla Spring discharges approximately 300 million gallons of water per day and is the main source of flow for the Wakulla River. Its warmer waters provide a refuge for manatees during cold winter months. Wakulla also indirectly supports the endangered Kemp’s Ridley turtle by providing a freshwater source to the St. Marks River, which flows into the Apalachee Bay estuary. Wakulla Spring is in Edward Ball Wakulla Springs State Park, where visitors can hike, swim, picnic, and take boat tours. The spring vent is 180 feet below the water’s surface and is the entrance to a massive network of caverns and tunnels. Cave diving is not permitted.
In 2016, the Florida Legislature passed the Florida Springs and Aquifer Protection Act.
Wakulla 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 Wakulla Springs springshed within the Nortthwest Florida Water Management District, as well as a map of the land use within the Wakulla 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 – Wakulla River and Wakulla Springs BMAP
FDEP – Nutrient TMDL for the Upper Wakulla River
NWFWMD – Recommended Minimum Flows for Wakulla and Sally Ward Springs
NWFWMD – MFL Peer Review Report – Wakulla Springs
USGS – Water Data – Wakulla Spring
FGS – First Magnitude Springs of Florida
FSI – Wakulla Springs Baseline Ecosystem Assessment
FSI – Wakulla Springs Restoration Action Plan
FSI – SpringsWatch – Wakulla River
FSI – 2019 Wakulla Springs Monitoring Summary
FSI – 2020 Wakulla Springs Monitoring Summary
FSI – Wakulla Springs Report Card – 2016
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.
